Captives
by can08writer
Summary: Rick and Michonne get captured while on a run, and they must do what's necessary to stay alive and get home to their children.
1. Chapter 1

The darkness did nothing but sharpen Rick's senses as he was thrown into the bed of a pick-up truck. His blindfold was made of some sort of scratchy material, maybe burlap, and it chafed his eyes and face. He could hear the engine start and muffled voices go back and forth in conversation as the truck seemed to hit every bump and pot hole in the road. A particularly big hole threw him closer to the person sitting next to him, but he didn't move away. He'd never move away from her. His hands were tied behind him, but he used his body to speak for him, resting his leg right against hers. Reassuring her as well as being reassured himself.

 _I'm still here. You're still here. We're still alive._

He felt her rub her leg against his in return.

 _I'm still here_.

The ride in the back of the truck seemed to stretch on forever. The heat was causing him to sweat and stick to himself, the sunlight burning his sensitive skin. He knew he'd have a sunburn by the time the truck stopped. But the long ride gave him time to reflect on what happened hours ago, when a run with he and Michonne turned into them being completely surrounded and outnumbered by a gang of people armed with clubs, knives, and various other homemade weapons.

Rick wasn't one to surrender, but he just didn't have enough bullets to take them all out, and Michonne knew it too, slowly lowering her katana. They both surrendered, thinking that action could give them enough time to figure out what to do next. The next thing he knew they were being tied up, and blindfolded. He was just grateful she was still sitting next to him unharmed. He was confident they'd find a way to get out of this. They always do.

After hours of driving, the truck pulled to an abrupt stop. Rick tensed, and could feel Michonne tense beside him. One of the men who were piled into the back with him grabbed his arm and yanked him off the back of the truck. Because he was bound and blindfolded he couldn't properly brace himself and he crashed to the ground and landed on his shoulder, letting out a grunt. Before he could right himself he felt Michonne crash on top of him, her head hitting his chest hard. She let out a moan on impact, but he was glad he was there to cushion her fall. Rough hands grabbed him and pulled him upwards.

"Where'd you find these two?" a gruff voice asked.

"Down by the highway. They were together." The man who was holding Rick replied.

"Well ain't that sweet. Lock em' up, you know what to do." The first voice ordered.

Rick was walked/dragged into a building. He could tell by the acoustics and echoes around him that the building was fairly big and generally empty. He was dragged along until he was yanked to a stop. He could feel hands on his body, running down his waist line and reaching into his pockets.

"Don't touch me!" he heard Michonne yell and he figured they were doing the same to her. He heard a small thud and it sounded like they had slammed her up against the wall. She then started making choking noises.

"Hey! Don't you hurt her!" Rick called.

"You stop fighting and I'll let go of your neck" someone grunted. Rick could hear Michonne struggling next to him and more grunts and gasps until the noise quieted down. Rick was terrified. He didn't know if she had stopped on her own or if she had passed out.

"That's it. See, you cooperate, and we don't hurt you." The man said. Rick felt someone loosening his blindfold and then it fell to the floor. The bright light of the room they were standing in was blinding and he squeezed his eyes shut until they adjusted. As he squinted around he could see the outline of Michonne, her back pressed against a wall, a man removing her blindfold as well. She had the same reaction as Rick, squinting in the bright light. She glared at the man who had been previously choking her, and then her eyes found Rick's. They silently checked each other over to make sure the other was okay.

"You two are gonna stay in time-out for a while until you learn how to play nice." The man who had hold of Michonne said. He pulled a knife and Michonne flinched slightly. The man who was holding on to Rick's arm unlocked a door and pushed Rick towards it. The man who had Michonne reached over with the knife and cut Rick free as the other man shoved him into the room. They then dragged Michonne over and cut her loose as well, shoving her in and slamming the door behind her. They both heard the door lock, but all they could do was hear it, as the room they were in had no windows and very well could've been a closet. It was pitch black inside, and the only light was coming from the closed door they came in from. They were quiet until they heard the men walk away.

"You ok?" Rick whispered, feeling for her in the dark. He managed to touch what he approximated was her shoulder.

"Yea. I'm ok." Michonne muttered.

"What do you think they want?" Rick asked.

"Doesn't matter. We need to get out of here." Michonne said, heading for the door and trying the knob. Rick turned and ran his hands along the walls of their room, searching for any weaknesses and trying to figure out how large the room was. He made his way around, not feeling anything, but he figured the room was about the size of one of the jail cells in the prison. There was nothing but a concrete floor and the door. The cracks underneath the door provided the only light. His foot banged into a bucket, the only object in the room.

"This bucket better not be for what I think" Rick grumbled.

"You think we can kick this door in?" Michonne asked, pressing against the door.

"Maybe, but not without making a huge amount of noise, and it seems like there's a lot of them out there. I think for now we need to sit tight and think of a strategy."

Michonne sighed in frustration because she knew Rick was right. Rick slid down one of the walls and sat in silence as Michonne paced back and forth in the small room like a caged animal. Although it was hard to judge time in the dark, eventually she also slid down the wall and sat next to Rick.

"Any idea where we are?" Michonne asked him.

"No, but we're about two hours away from where they captured us. That's all I've got. If they let us out we both look for landmarks that could help us."

Michonne nodded next to him although she knew he couldn't see her. Rick knew she was frustrated and annoyed at their helplessness. His hand found hers in the dark and their fingers interlaced.

"Hey, at least you're here with me and not Eugene." Rick whispered.

Michonne chuckled at his joke. "Yea, true."

They sat in relative silence for what seemed like hours. They could see daylight was fading based on the light coming from under the door.

"Ugh, when will they let us out of here?" Michonne whined, "I may just die of boredom."

"Well, I can think of a few things we could do to pass the time, but it may be a tad bit inappropriate due to the circumstances."

"Really Rick? You know we're hostages right?"

"And what's your point?"

Michonne laughed loudly and nudged Rick in the side. "Yea, I'm really glad you're here instead of Eugene."

When the light had almost completely disappeared, they could hear people walking around in the building, but none of the footsteps sounded like they were coming to open the door. Michonne had taken to pacing again. "They're not letting us out today" Rick sighed.

"I can't just sit here. I… they need to let us out _now_!" Michonne growled, but Rick could hear the shakiness and panic in her voice. She began to bang on and kick the door.

"Michonne!" Rick called, but she continued to kick. He stood up and reached for her in the dark, placing both his hands on her shoulders and then moving them around her waist, hugging her from behind. He could feel the quickness of her breathing and the tension in her back.

"You need to relax and save your strength. We will get out of here Michonne, but banging on the door isn't going to make that happen any quicker."

After a few tense seconds, Michonne leaned back into Rick's arms and then turned around to face him, her fast breaths blowing on his face. He pressed her chest up against his and she rested her head on his shoulder.

"Have I ever told you I'm claustrophobic?" she said softly.

Rick rubbed circles on her back. "No, but that explains a lot" he said.

"I don't do well in small places like this… It was one of the reasons why I always went on runs when we lived in the prison. I've had panic attacks before."

"Don't worry. I'm here with you. You'll be ok. We will get out of here, alright?"

Michonne nodded into his shoulder, and Rick took her hand and led her to a spot on the floor. He sat with his back against the wall and he pulled her into his lap so that her back was leaning against his chest. Her breathing was still fast, so Rick gently began to massage her shoulders.

"Just feel my breathing, and try to match my breaths. Breathe with me, ok?"

Over time her breathing slowed down and she began to relax into him.

"Feel a little better?" he asked.

"Yes. Thank you Rick."

"Just doin' my job" he replied, kissing her shoulder. "Now try to get some sleep. I'll stay up and keep watch."

"I can't… I should keep watch…" Michonne started.

"I'm not takin' no for an answer. I got this. Sleep will help you."

Rick could hear Michonne let out a sigh and he knew that she had rolled her eyes.

"And don't you roll your eyes at me" Rick joked, causing Michonne to chuckle.

"Fine. You're really bossy you know?" she said, stretching and shifting to get comfortable against him.

"That's why you love me" Rick responded, pressing a kiss against her cheek.

"I do" Michonne mumbled, and to Rick's surprise she was asleep within minutes.

Rick sighed and let his head hit the hard wall behind him. He had to get her out of here. He had to get home to their children. He was going to get home, no matter who he had to kill in the process. He spent the rest of the night listening to the occasional footsteps in the distance, and Michonne's soft breathing as she slept.


	2. Chapter 2

Day 2

When Michonne opened her eyes all she could see was darkness. Suddenly, the events of the day before came flooding back to her.

 _We're locked in a pitch black room, we don't know where we are, we can't get out._

She could feel Rick breathing deeply behind her and realized he was asleep.

 _So much for keeping watch_ she thought, and she carefully unwrapped his arms from around her waist. Her butt and her neck was killing her from sleeping upright all night, but she couldn't imagine laying on the cold, filthy floor. She leaned backwards to stretch her back and then cracked her neck. From the slight light under the door she figured it would be dawn soon.

 _Ok, they'll let us out today. They'll tell us what they want. We'll kill them, and we'll go home. Simple. Relax Michonne. Just breathe._

She could feel her claustrophobia bubbling up again but she took a few breaths to calm herself. A few moments later and she could hear Rick stirring.

"I fell asleep" he mumbled, standing up and stretching. She could tell he was just as stiff and aching as she was.

"Yea, I noticed" Michonne said, coming over to him and giving him a quick kiss on the lips. "Did you hear anything last night?"

"No. Just occasional footsteps walking around, but it was only one person. Everything else was silent."

"If there's only one guard walking around here at night, maybe there are less of them than we thought."

"Maybe, we have to stay cautious though and learn more."

"Uh Rick, this is gonna take our relationship to a whole other level but… I have to pee"

Michonne could hear Rick laughing. "Go ahead. You know I can't see you, and it's not like we haven't been living together for years already. We've seen each other at our worst, I can handle it."

"I know but… this situation is just weird. I can't just pee in the silence. Can you… can you sing? So it's not so quiet?"

"Michonne, have you _heard_ me sing?" Rick asked incredulously.

"Actually, no"

"That's why you're asking me to sing"

"C'mon it can't be that bad. It's better than the sound of peeing in a bucket."

Michonne could hear Rick sigh. "The things I do for love" Rick joked, "ok fine."

Rick cleared his throat. "I- I'm so in love with you, whatever you want to do, is alright with meeee…" Rick began to sing.

"Are you seriously singing let's stay together?" Michonne laughed.

"Shhh! Just hurry up!" Rick complained. "'Cuz you make me feel so brand newww. I want to spend my life with youuuuu. The same things, baby, since we've been together. Ohhh, loving you forever, is what I neeeed… Are you done yet?"

"No! Keep singing!" Michonne called from the corner.

"Let me be the one you come running toooo. I'll never be untrueeee. Ooh baby, let's- let's stay together, love you whether, whether, times are good or bad, and happy or sad. Whether times are good or bad, happy or sad. Whyyyy somebody, why people break up? Ooh, turn around and make up…"

"OK I'm done!" Michonne called.

"Finally" Rick said.

"Actually, I was done a few seconds ago, but your singing voice is adorable. And I'm impressed you really know all the lyrics." Michonne said, sashaying up to Rick. "You should really sing more often."

"I know you're playing with me" Rick said bashfully.

"No really! I like your voice, it's calming and very sexy"

"yea ok" Rick said, plopping back on the floor. Michonne sat beside him.

"You think they're trying to play with our minds?" Michonne asked, "drive us crazy?"

"It's working isn't it?" Rick asked.

"Yea I guess" Michonne agreed.

They sat in silence a little longer and watched the light coming under the door get brighter and brighter. As if on cue they could hear many doors open and dozens of footsteps out in the hallway. Rick and Michonne both leaped to their feet and ran to the door. They could see the shadows of people walking past their door. They prepared themselves for someone to open the door, but the footsteps eventually faded away and then there was silence again.

"Shit" Rick cursed, kicking the door.

"Look, when they open that door we need to be ready for them. Remember what Rosita did when we were in the train car?" Michonne asked.

"Yea, let's do that" Rick agreed, and the two of them removed their belts. Michonne felt for her belt buckle and began to sharpen the metal on the concrete floor as quietly as possible. She could hear Rick next to her doing the same thing. They would scrape the metal for a few minutes and then listen to see if anyone was coming, but each time they stopped all they could hear was silence. Michonne checked the belt buckle with her finger and was satisfied to feel that it was pretty sharp. It would do some damage if pushed through someone's neck.

"How's yours coming along?" She whispered to Rick.

"I think I'm done. It'll do damage" he whispered back.

With their weapons complete, Rick and Michonne were once again left to wait. In the silence, Michonne realized how thirsty she was. Neither she or Rick had drunk or eaten anything since the day before. As the hours passed and no one came, she and Rick both found themselves sitting on the floor again. The sunlight slowly began to fade from under the door again as day two dragged to a close.

All at once they heard many footsteps walking through the hallways heading back to wherever they came from. Michonne leaped for the door and began to bang on it.

"Open the door!" she yelled. "Hello? Open the door! You can't keep us in here forever!"

The footsteps continued past with no type of response. Michonne was on the verge of tears. She could feel a panic attack coming on again. As soon as she realized it, Rick did too.

"Breathe. Just breathe with me." He softly said into her ear. He hugged her, pressing her chest against his, and she tried to coordinate her breathing with his. After a few minutes she relaxed a little bit and sank into his chest.

"They're trying to psychologically torture us. This is worse than if they had just physically tortured us" She admitted, "I don't know how much longer I can take this Rick."

He stroked her hair and kissed her cheek. He didn't know how much more he could take either.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

As the sunlight slowly faded away, Rick and Michonne were left with silence and their thoughts. They went hours without talking, Rick's thoughts went to his failure to protect Michonne. Michonne's thoughts went to Carl and Judy, still in Alexandria without their parents. When Michonne couldn't take the silence anymore she spoke up.

"Wanna play a game?" she asked. Her voice startled Rick out of his deep thoughts.

"Yea. Ok." He responded.

"Truth or dare" Michonne said with a hint of mischief in her voice.

Rick laughed quietly at the ridiculous game.

"Truth" he responded.

"If you were locked in here with any celebrity, who would it be?"

"Hmmm…" Rick said as he thought. "Patsy Cline"

"Who?" Michonne asked.

"Don't tell me you don't know Patsy Cline."

Michonne's silence answered Rick's question.

"One of the greatest female country singers of all time?"

Michonne chuckled. "Well that's your problem right there. I don't listen to country."

"We'll have to remedy that when we get home then" Rick said, pulling Michonne closer to him. "Truth or dare?"

"Truth" Michonne answered.

"You said claustrophobia was one of the reasons why you didn't stay at the prison long. What were the others?"

Michonne sighed. She had tried to put that chapter of her life into the back of her mind. That scared, traumatized, closed off Michonne had gone away a long time ago, and memories of her were always painful, but she didn't want to have any secrets between her and Rick. Especially now, when they didn't know if they'd get out of this alive.

"I knew that if the Governor was alive he'd come back and destroy everything, so I wanted to make sure, to confirm that he was dead. Also, I had feelings for you that I didn't know what to do with, so I just… ran away. And then there was Judy…"

"Judy?" Rick asked, confused.

"Yea. She… she reminded me of _my_ baby."

Rick's mind raced back to the prison and how Michonne insisted on sleeping outside in the overturned bus or the guard tower if the weather was nice. How whenever he approached her carrying Judith she would turn away, or make some excuse to go somewhere. He thought she just wasn't a baby person, or she was annoyed by Judith's cries, but everything that she just said put the pieces together in his head and in his heart.

"Your baby." Rick repeated, just to confirm what she said.

Michonne sighed. "Yea. His name was… he was Andre."

Rick threaded his fingers through hers. "Do you want to tell me about him?" Rick asked.

"He had big brown eyes, and soft brown hair. Everyone always said he had my eyes, and his daddy's nose. He was so smart. He knew the entire alphabet and could spell at three. I would practice with him every night. His favorite book was 'Goodnight moon' and he'd make me read it at least twice before he went to bed. He was so kind, he always wanted to share everything that I gave him. He'd always say 'we have to share mommy'. He… he was everything to me." Michonne said, tears running down her cheeks.

"I'm sorry. He sounds like a wonderful boy. I know he was, with you as his mom." Rick said, squeezing her hand. Michonne didn't answer for a while. After a few minutes of silence she sniffled "truth or dare?"

Rick chuckled at the thought that she still wanted to play. "I think we're done with truths for a while. Dare."

"I dare you to get us out of here" Michonne whispered.

Rick laughed again. "OK, but I have to postpone that for a little while based on the circumstances. But I promise I will."

"Ok, then I dare you to come here" Michonne said, feeling for Rick's neck in the dark, wrapping her arms around it, and pulling him on top of her.

"Really? I thought we were hostages." Rick said, in between kisses to Michonne's neck.

"Well they're taking too long, and we have to occupy ourselves somehow right?"

"Hell yea" Rick responded as his lips moved to Michonne's. He took his time sucking on her top lip, his favorite lip, as he could feel her tongue circling his bottom lip. He opened his mouth wider and she slipped her tongue inside. Her tongue found his and they began to stroke each other, dancing in circles around the other.

Rick gently pushed Michonne down onto the hard floor. There was no way he was going to have her completely naked on this concrete floor, he would have to be creative. He continued to kiss her as his hands moved up under her shirt and caressed her breasts. She let out a moan and wrapped her legs around his waist as he continued to massage her and tweak her nipples. Her hands wandered down his body and unbuttoned his pants, greedily reaching into his boxers and finding his hard dick. She gently rubbed causing him to moan and push against her hand.

"Wait, wait" he called, causing her to freeze with her hand still around his dick.

"Take your pants off, I'm gonna do you against the wall". Michonne's eyes widened at his demand, but she quickly obeyed, pushing herself up and shimmying her jeans down her hips. When she rid herself of her panties she felt for Rick's hand in the dark, and guided it between her legs so he could feel how ready she was.

While she was taking her jeans off, Rick was similarly undressing, and the feel of her wetness and heat caused his dick to twitch.

"Oh God baby" he whispered in her ear as he pushed her back into the wall. "All that's for me?"

"All of me is for you" she whispered back, licking his neck and then biting it. Rick let out a growl and he grasped Michonne's ass, squeezing it roughly. They kissed a little longer and then Michonne grasped Rick's dick and rubbed it through her wet folds. Both of them moaned at the sensation, and Rick thrust up against her, causing wetness to begin seeping down Michonne's thighs.

"I want you… from behind" Michonne gasped, and Rick's only response was to turn Michonne around and press on her back so that she was bent over with her head and arms leaning against the hard wall. Rick rubbed his rock hard dick against her entrance just to make sure she was ready, and was greeted by a wet and warm sensation that told him she was beyond ready. Without any further hesitation he thrusted into her.

She let out a low prolonged moan and he felt her walls clench around his dick making the sensation even more intense. He ran his hands down her thighs and then pulled out almost completely and repeated the thrust. Her moan was louder and higher pitched.

"Shhh" he whispered into her ear as he continued stabbing into her.

"I... I can't... oh god Rick" she cried as he continued his assault. Although Rick couldn't see her he could feel how she was slowly sinking downwards as if her legs couldn't hold her up for long.

Rick reached around and grabbed her waist, keeping her upright as he continued to thrust into her hot, wet, core.

"Soon" she whispered, "I'm coming soon" as she ground her hips backwards into him. Rick thrusted harder, practically pressing her face up against the wall.

"C'mon Michonne, do it baby" he rasped into her ear, and his right hand left her hip and traveled downwards to her clit where it strummed her like a guitar string.

The shaking Rick felt against his dick intensified and he could tell the orgasm that was coming was going to be a big one.

"Ahhh" Michonne groaned and Rick quickly put his hand over her mouth to muffle her cries as she rode wave after wave of pleasure. Her legs gave out and he caught her, pressing her to him as she continued to come. His dick was soaked in her juices, but he continued thrusting, causing her body to hold his dick even tighter. He was about to come, so he put his lips over his teeth and bit into her shoulder to muffle his own cries as he gave one last thrust and released deep inside her.

Liquids were dripping from both of them as they continued to stand, Michonne crushed against the hard wall as Rick leaned on her from behind. He rubbed his face against her shoulder and kissed her back before he pulled out of her. There was no way for them to clean themselves up so they just put their underwear and clothes back on and collapsed on the floor in a heap.

"That was the best game of truth or dare ever" Michonne joked.

"Mmmhmm" Rick replied sleepily.

"Go to sleep" Michonne demanded. "You took watch yesterday, it's my turn tonight. And don't even think about arguing, it's happening Grimes."

Rick chuckled "yes ma'am" and then laid his head on Michonne's lap. The rest of his body was laying on the hard, cold, floor but he was too tired to care.

Michonne slowly stroked his curls and massaged his scalp, helping him to relax. He sighed into her thigh, smelling himself on her and in her. Her smell was intoxicating and he couldn't help but pull her head down for another kiss. "G'nite baby" he whispered.

"Goodnight" she responded.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Day 3

Day three started off exactly how day two did. Michonne opened her eyes to realize that she had fallen asleep at some point during the night. Rick was still sleeping on her legs, his heavy head cutting off her circulation, but she didn't want to wake him. The light coming from under the door was soft, telling her it must be around 6 a.m. She let out a small sigh, wondering if they'd be let out of their prison today, and if so, what new horrors may come with that. She shifted slightly, just to take some of Rick's weight off her legs, but that movement was enough to wake him.

"Mornin'" he groaned as he sat up.

"Hey" she replied.

"Hear anything last night?" he asked.

"No, it was just like you described, a few footsteps here and there but not much movement."

"I'm thirsty" Rick admitted.

"Yea me too. They need to give us water at least, if they're trying to keep us alive."

"Well, less water means less peeing" Rick joked, and Michonne playfully slapped him.

"Speaking of, I need to pee now."

"Go ahead" Michonne offered.

"You gonna sing for me?" Rick asked.

"If you want me to" Michonne agreed. "Any requests?"

"Whatever you want" Rick called.

Michonne took a minute to think. She used to love to sing, but it had been a while since she had. The last person she sung to was Andre, the night before he died. The memory of that made a lump form in her throat, but she swallowed it down. She thought back to her favorite songs before the world fell apart and finally one came to her. She closed her eyes, opened her mouth and began to belt out the song.

 _"_ _Girl I'm in love with you, this ain't the honeymoon, past the infatuation phase._

 _Right in the thick of love, at times we get sick of love, it seems like we argue everyday._

 _I know I misbehaved and you made your mistakes and we both still got room left to grow._

 _And though love sometimes hurts, I still put you first, and we'll make this thing work but I think we should take it slow._

 _We're just ordinary people, we don't know which way to go_

 _Cuz we're ordinary people, maybe we should take it slow_

 _Take it slow oh oh ohhhh_

 _This time we'll take it slow_

 _Take it slow oh oh ohhhhh_

 _This time we'll take it slow."_

Rick's hands on her shoulder startled her out of her groove.

"No, don't stop" Rick pleaded, "your voice is beautiful"

"But you're done" Michonne said.

"Please, keep singing" Rick implored, sitting down next to her.

Michonne closed her eyes again, despite being in darkness anyway, and continued to sing, finishing the entire song. As she sang she remembered the happier parts of her life, like listening to this song on the car radio and singing as she drove to pick up Andre from daycare.

When she was done, she heard clapping on the other side of the room door. The sound startled she and Rick, and they leaped to their feet, getting their weapons ready. The door slowly opened, sending bright sunlight into the blackened cell. Both of them were blinded after two days of almost complete darkness, and they shrunk away from the door as their eyes burned.

It took almost 30 seconds for the two of them to regain their sight, and in that time no one entered the cell. When Michonne's eyes finally cleared enough to see shapes, she could see someone was standing in the doorway, surrounded by sunlight. Michonne continued to squint and blink until her eyes focused on the outline of a little girl.

"Hi! I like the way you sing" she said with a giggle.


	3. Chapter 3

Of all the people to have opened the door, the two warriors were not expecting a little girl. She looked about ten years old and she wore a dirty, worn shirt with a big red heart on the front, and a pair of jeans that had holes in the knees and looked a few sizes too big. She had light brown skin, and her hair was a curly tangled mess.

Rick, taking no chances, rushed towards the door and past the little girl who made no move to stop him. Michonne was right on his heels and they dashed into the hallway outside of their cramped room.

"How do we get out of here?" Rick yelled at her, brandishing his homemade belt weapon.

The little girl didn't look afraid or concerned about the two angry, armed adults in front of her.

"Well, I just let you out, duh" she said, looking at Rick's weapon skeptically. "But if you're trying to escape, don't. You'll never get away."

"Where are we?" Michonne hissed, looking around nervously at the bright hallway they'd been released into.

"It's time to eat" the girl decreed, ignoring Michonne's question as she turned and began to walk down the hallway. Suddenly, three men, armed with bats and axes, appeared at the end of the hallway.

Michonne quickly grabbed the girl and pressed the sharpened belt buckle against her throat, causing the girl to squeak in surprise. "Let us go" Michonne growled at the guards.

One of the guards laughed and shrugged his shoulders. "Go ahead, kill that girl, you still aren't going anywhere."

Another one of the guards made his way down the hallway towards Rick and Michonne, unlocking the other doors. As he opened each door, people stepped out and without giving Rick and Michonne a single glance, they headed down the hallway in the direction the girl was previously going. The people who were locked in the rooms had clothes in various states of tatter just like the girl. They were of different ages and states, but they wore the same hopeless looks on their dirty faces.

As the guard who was unlocking the doors got closer to where Rick and Michonne stood, Michonne still holding the girl hostage, the man noticed their makeshift weapons.

"Put those down" he said. "They're not gonna do you any good. You'll just be locked in there longer."

Rick continued to brandish his belt, but realized that it wasn't going to do much against the weapons the guards were carrying, although he quickly noticed they didn't have guns.

Rick reluctantly lowered the belt and the man ordered "give it to me".

Rick did as he was told, and the same man turned to Michonne who was still holding her belt to the girl's neck.

"Now you." Michonne glared at the man and then let the girl go, angrily throwing the belt at the man who caught it and chuckled at her annoyance.

"Good thing _she_ opened that door instead of us" he laughed, "You. Take them to the yard" he demanded of the girl. The girl rolled her eyes at the guard and glared at Michonne, and then wordlessly made her way down the hallway. Rick and Michonne, still on high alert, followed behind her cautiously. They walked past the other two guards and through a door that led outside.

The door led to a large outdoor parking lot which was overgrown with small bushes and weeds. They were met by tens of people who were either in a long line that reached all the way across the parking lot, or crouched on the floor, shoving some sort of mush into their mouths with their hands.

"What the hell is going on?" Rick asked the little girl, who stood behind the last person in the line.

"I told you already, before _she_ tried to kill me", the little girl shot an annoyed look at Michonne, "it's time to eat"

"Why are we here?" Rick asked.

"To work" the girl replied, not even bothering to look at him.

"Work for who?" Michonne asked, but the girl ignored the question.

"Look" the girl snapped, "we're not even supposed to be talking right now. If they want to tell you anything they will. Now just wait on line and get your food."

Rick turned and glanced at Michonne. Neither of them knew what to make of this place, but they did need food and water after being locked in a room for two days.

Michonne nodded at Rick. _Let's just wait for now, see what's going on_.

With that decision made, Rick turned to observe more of his surroundings. The building they were held in was a large brick structure, but he couldn't make out what the building used to be used for since he only had a view of the back. The building itself was large, and judging by the amount of people waiting for food, at least 100 people were living here, or being held prisoner.

 _They must have a lot of security to keep this many people in check_ Rick thought. _Unless these people chose to stay here?_

Judging by the clothes and looks of the people around him Rick didn't think so, and the girl didn't seem like she was here by choice either.

His eyes moved to the high chain link fencing that surrounded the parking lot. _They're climbable_ Rick thought, but looking beyond them all he saw was flat fields surrounded by fencing, with no cover. There were homemade wooden booths that were stationed on a platform in every field. They seemed like look-out or guard towers of some sort.

 _So, these people aren't here by choice._

From what Rick could see, they had turned the area into a huge farm. Every available space was used to grow some kind of crop. Rick could recognize Corn, cotton, wheat, and squash growing in the fields closest to where they were.

 _This place is huge. They must be growing tons of food here. That must be how they feed all these people._

Rick glanced over at Michonne and saw that she was scoping the place out as well. She nodded her head at the look-out platforms in the distance. "You think anyone's in there?" she whispered so only he could hear. "Dunno, but there has to be a reason no one is running" Rick whispered back.

"Hey!" a guard carrying a bat with pieces of metal embedded in it yelled towards Rick and Michonne. "Keep your mouth shut and your eyes forward. This ain't chat time."

Rick faced forward, taking cues from the rest of the prisoners who either looked straight ahead or kept their eyes down as they waited in line. Rick was shocked to see almost no conversation, and the only sounds came from the scratching of fingers on bowls or the slurps of people as they sucked up whatever food was in the bowls.

When Rick, Michonne, and the girl made it up to the front of the food line, most other people were squatting or sitting on the parking lot floor, eating. An elderly man and two elderly women were standing behind large pots of bubbling… something. The man passed Rick and Michonne a bowl and a cup, and the women dumped a ladle full of a white, starchy looking mush into the bowl. A ladle of water was poured into the cup.

"What is this?" Michonne asked, gesturing to the bowl. The face of the woman who dumped the ladle into Michonne's bowl immediately soured. "Just shut up and eat it" she whispered, glancing nervously at the guards. Michonne nodded her head quickly and the little girl pointed out a spot where Michonne and Rick should sit. They obeyed her and sat on the hard concrete floor. The girl plopped down a few feet away and immediately began scooping the mush into her mouth with her hands. There were no utensils so Rick and Michonne tentatively stuck their fingers into the mush to taste it.

The mush tasted like a mix between mushed up potatoes, corn, and other mystery vegetables boiled in water. It had no seasoning in it whatsoever but it didn't taste poisonous, and considering that they'd once eaten dog on the side of the road, this mush was edible. They hungrily ate the mush and gulped down the cup of water. As soon as they finished, a bell chimed from somewhere. Everyone stopped what they were doing and stood. People who hadn't yet finished their mush greedily scooped it out of the bowl with their fingers and shoved it into their mouths as if someone would take it from them.

Without any kind of warning or visible signal, the people quickly made their way to an opening in the fence, piling their bowls and cups on a table as they went. Rick and Michonne followed everyone else, using all the movement to scope out a possible escape route. There were about 20 guards in the parking lot, armed with their wooden weapons, but none of them seemed too concerned about prisoners escaping. They talked and laughed together, some with their backs to the prisoners.

"It shouldn't be hard to get past these guards" Rick whispered to Michonne, "they're not even looking."

"Maybe there's a reason they don't care. Maybe we're missing something." Michonne mumbled back.

When the pair got up to the table they quickly placed the cups and bowls down and started to walk through the opening in the fence that everyone else was squeezing through when a guard stuck out his arm, almost hitting Michonne in the chest.

"You're the newbies right?" he asked both of them as Michonne glared. "Yea, you are. You have to speak to the Director before you go out there. Turn around, the girl will take you to him."

The girl who was right behind Rick and Michonne sighed. "They can get there on their own" she whined, "I have other things to do".

"You're gonna take 'em to the Director, and quit with the back talk" the man ordered.

The girl huffed and spun around on her heels. "Come on!" she yelled to Rick and Michonne and she stomped off in the other direction. Michonne glared at the guard one more time before they both followed the girl into the building.

 _At least now we can get an idea of why we're here_ Rick thought. They followed the girl through a maze of hallways until she led them to what looked like an office, with a frosted window in the door.

The girl knocked twice and a rough voice yelled "come in."

The girl opened the door and they followed her into a small office. A short, chubby man who was balding on the top of his head, and wearing a suit sat at the desk in the room which was covered in record books and other pieces of clutter. He looked up as the trio entered.

" _You're_ the newbies?" the man asked, as if he wasn't expecting what he saw in front of him.

"We don't know why we're here, and we don't want to be here" Rick said. "Let us leave".

The fat little man chuckled. "That isn't happening, but at least I can give you an explanation. Have a seat, let's talk. I'm the Director of this establishment that we have here."

Neither Rick or Michonne moved to sit. "He said we don't want to be here. You're holding us against our will, and you locked us in a room for two days. What do we possibly have to talk about?" Michonne asked.

"Maybe after I explain why you're here, you'll want to stay. Have a seat. Let's talk."

"We'll stand" Rick said, eyeing the man's table for anything he could use as a weapon.

"Ok that's fine" the Director said. "Now, you were kept in the room as quarantine, to make sure you weren't bit or scratched, or have any sicknesses that we weren't aware of. It's standard procedure with anyone we pick up. We need you healthy."

"For what?" Michonne asked.

"We need healthy workers here. As I'm sure you saw, we have many acres of fields that need to be tended to. It's how we eat. We have plenty of food, and it's all made possible by our workers. If you want to eat, you have to work. It's that simple. Now that you're here, you can get two meals a day, a safe place to sleep at night, and a purpose, as long as you get with the program. It's better than wandering around out there with the dead on your heels, right?"

Rick and Michonne just stared at the man. "That's not gonna work for us, we need to go. Now." Michonne said, inching closer to the man.

"Like I said, you're not leaving. But it's a sweet deal for you. Working in exchange for food and shelter…"

"It sounds like slavery to me" Rick replied, moving forward to stand beside Michonne "and besides, we said we're not interested. So as far as I see it, we're being held prisoner."

"You can see it however you'd like" the man said, reaching over and grabbing a plum from a bowl of fruit that sat on his desk. He wiped the plum on his shirt before taking a bite. "Facts are, you're staying here. You can see it as a blessing, or a curse if you'd like. If you work well, do your job, you can work your way up, maybe be one of the guards one day. If you cause trouble, you'll be punished. But either way, welcome to The Farm. Girl, take them back outside."

Rick and Michonne glanced at each other quickly and communicated in the way that only the two of them could. He could see Michonne was ready to take this man hostage in order to get out of here. Her body was tense and she had inched within leaping distance of the man. Rick was ready to go through with it as well, but he saw the girl out of the corner of his eye. She was watching the two of them closely and she could tell they were about to pounce. Her brown eyes met Rick's and she quickly shook her head no, while staring directly at Rick. Something about the look in her eye told Rick she knew something that they didn't. Before Michonne could surge forward, Rick grabbed her wrist, pulling her back towards him. The Director, and Michonne, both seemed startled by Rick's quick movement, but the little girl helped them play it off by loudly calling "let's go!" and headed for the door. Michonne shot Rick a confused look as they left, not understanding why he grabbed her, but she followed him and the girl out of the office.

Michonne stared at Rick with a look that said _what the hell?_

Rick quickly scanned the hallway, making sure they were alone, and then grabbed the girl's wrist. The girl struggled in his grip. "What? You gonna try to kill me again?" she spat, staring into his eyes and then Michonne's.

"Look, I'm sorry about that. I wouldn't've hurt you, but we need to get out of here" Michonne explained.

"Why did you stop me in there?" Rick asked, staring at the girl but releasing her wrist.

The girl looked down at the floor. "'Cuz you won't get away. No one does. And I don't wanna see it again."

"See what?" Michonne asked.

"What they'll do when they catch you" she replied softly.

"Why won't we get away?" Rick whispered, staring in the girl's eyes. The girl opened her mouth to speak when a door squeaked open at the end of the doorway. The girl began to briskly walk again, forcing Rick and Michonne to follow as a guard made his way towards them.

"The Director said to bring them outside. What field should I put them on?" The girl asked the guard who was carrying a machete.

"Corn needs help with the weeds. Put them there." The guard said, barely glancing at them as he walked by. Rick could hear him continue down the hallway and knock on The Director's door. As they reached the end of the hallway, Rick glanced back quickly and saw the guard enter the Director's office.

"Why won't we get away?" Rick whispered to the girl, just as they reached the doors that led back outside.

"Just believe me" the girl said. "Now stop talking before you get me in trouble. I'm taking you to the corn fields, they'll tell you what to do. If you wanna run off it's on you, but don't say I didn't warn you."

She opened the doors and led the couple back into the blinding sunshine. They followed her back across the parking lot to the opening in the fence where everyone had walked through earlier. The same guard who had stopped them before stood there watching them as they approached.

"Where are they going?" he asked the girl.

"Corn" she replied.

The guard chuckled and grinned at the disgusted look Michonne was giving him. "Have fun! I bet by the time you come back you'll be too tired to be giving me dirty looks."

They followed the girl through the gates and entered what looked like a maze of chain linked fences. Rick got flashbacks of the prison, and it was very similar to how the yards in the prison were set up. There was a walkway lined with gates on both sides and on the other side of the fences were fields with different crops growing. Each field was completely surrounded by a fence that was locked with a padlock and had a guard keeping watch. There was also a lookout tower in every one of the huge enclosures.

Rick was shocked by the scale of the fencing. It must've taken lots of time, skill, and manpower to fence all of these areas in. He could tell the fencing was done after the apocalypse, not before, because it was shoddily put together and was made of many different types of chain linking, as if they were scavenging from many different gates.

They followed the girl past many fields full of people slaving away picking tomatoes, trimming bushes, pulling weeds, and digging holes until finally they reached a field that had large stalks of corn growing.

"If you're quiet I can keep both of you in here together" the girl whispered. She then called over the guard at the gate.

"The Director sent these two newbies to work here" she explained.

"Oh fucking joy. I got some newbies" the man said, rolling his eyes. "Just what I need, babysitting newbies and messing up the flow out here. Can't they go to sweet potatoes instead? They need help weeding out there too."

"No. They both have to go here. Director's orders" she lied.

"Shit. Fine." the man grumbled, unlocking the gate. He stared Rick and Michonne up and down, finally focusing on Rick.

"You better fix your faces right now. Both of you. I'm not liking the way you're looking at me. You keep your eyes and your head down and do what you're told. You understand me?" he asked.

Neither of them answered and continued to stare. "I said do you understand me?" the man said, moving into Rick's face.

"Yes" Rick grumbled. The man looked over at Michonne. "And you?"

Michonne stared at him a little while longer and a dangerous smile spread across her face "Oh yes" she replied.

The man totally missed the warning in their voices and was satisfied with their answers. He shoved them inside the gate and then locked it behind him again. The little girl turned and walked off down the passageway of gates without another glance.

"Look at what everyone else is doing. You go down the row, you pick any weeds that are growing under the plants. You drop the weeds in your pouch. You keep going until you're told to stop. Once your pouch is full, you dump it into the wheel barrow, and then you keep going. That's it. No talking. No stopping. No unscheduled breaks. No bullshit. Any questions?"

When they didn't respond, the man threw two dirty pouches at them that they were to wrap around their necks like a shoulder bag.

"Begin" the man ordered. Michonne noticed everyone else had gloves.

"We don't have gloves" Michonne stated.

"Newbies don't get gloves. You need to earn them. Begin."

Rick and Michonne glanced at each other quickly and then bent down to start picking weeds. As he worked, Rick's mind was racing trying to come up with a plan to get them out of here. He scoped out the enclosure that he was in, alternating glances between Michonne and the other people who were in here with them. The corn stalks were so high it was hard to tell how many workers were in the other rows, but he saw 10 people in the row that he and Michonne were currently working in. He also noticed he didn't see any other guards besides the one that was standing by the gate.

He shoved some weeds into his bag and glanced back over at Michonne. She was glancing around too, trying to gather information just like he was. She looked at him and then at the guard tower that was a few rows away from them. He couldn't tell if there was anyone in there or not, not from this distance, but he hadn't seen any movement. He looked back at Michonne and she shrugged. _You think anyone is in there?_ He shrugged back. _I don't know._

They worked their way up the row, trying to covertly count the number of people they could see. When they reached the end of the row, Rick took a second to stretch his back which was aching from bending over to grab the low growing weeds. He cracked his neck and rolled his shoulders when he felt a rock bounce off his back. The sudden impact startled him, and he spun around looking for the source of the rock, when a guard who he hadn't noticed before and who was holding a slingshot yelled to him "It's not break time". Rick glared at the man, but bent down and continued working. Michonne, who had witnessed the incident mouthed _you ok?_ Rick nodded and continued. At least now he knew there were at least two guards in here with them.

They worked for hours and the two of them were aching. Rick's hands were red from pulling on the weeds, and his neck and back were aching from bending down for hours on end. His face and shoulders were badly sunburned and were starting to peel from the relentless sun and heat, and he was so thirsty his lips were parched. At some point when the sun was high in the sky, Rick figured it was around noon, the guard at the gate called "break time! Let's go!". All the workers simultaneously dropped their gloves and their pouches and stood, stretching their aching limbs. They headed back towards the gate and Rick and Michonne followed them.

People from the other fields were also being let out, and Rick was shocked at the sheer number of people moving back towards the parking lot.

 _This would be the perfect time to escape. There's too many people to keep track of. If only I knew how to get out._

Rick looked at Michonne who looked as exhausted as he felt. She was covered in sweat and her lips had begun to crack because of the lack of water. He quickly reached out and touched her arm, causing her to turn and look at him. She nodded, letting him know she was ok. They followed the crowds into the parking lot where everyone got back into a line again. Rick wasn't sure what they were in line for, but he followed the crowd, noticing that the guards that were present in the crowded parking lot still weren't paying much attention to the exhausted workers. As they made their way up to the front of the line he could see it was a line for water. The same three elderly people were handing out cups and ladling water into it. Once people received a cup they were thirstily devouring it. Five guards were directing people to certain areas of the parking lot, and the workers were allowed to sit, some of them falling asleep on the spot out of exhaustion.

When Rick and Michonne got their cups of water, they both finished it immediately. One of the guards directed Michonne to the left, while another directed Rick to an area on the right. They glanced at each other, unhappy to be split up. Rick began walking off to the right while the guard turned his attention to the people behind them. When the guard wasn't looking Rick promptly turned and snuck back over to where Michonne was directed, plopping down next to her. The guard didn't notice for a few minutes, but he eventually glanced behind him to see the two of them sitting together.

"Hey! I told you to get your ass over there!" The guard yelled at Rick.

"You… you did?" Rick asked, playing stupid. "Sorry I didn't know."

"The hell you didn't know" the man said, heading towards them.

Rick got up quickly and so did Michonne. "Sorry, we're newbies, I didn't know there was assigned seating" Rick explained quickly. "I'll just go over…"

Rick's sentence was cut off by a punch to his jaw. It happened so quickly he didn't have time to react. He dropped to his knees on the ground and held his face in disbelief.

"Don't you touch him!" he could hear Michonne yell in rage. He glanced several other guards coming over, and he knew this wouldn't end well.

He jumped up and grabbed Michonne's arm, knowing she was about to take them all on. He knew if they hit her he'd have to kill them all, and it wouldn't end well.

"Wait, wait" Rick said, clutching his jaw. "I don't want trouble. I didn't know I couldn't sit here. I'll just go over there now." He said, while staring at Michonne. _Don't fight back. Not right now._

Michonne was scowling in rage, but she knew Rick was right. They had to bide their time to get out of here alive.

The guard grabbed Rick by his hair and dragged him over to the spot he'd originally told him to go to. "Sit your ass here and don't get up. You're getting off easy 'cuz you're a newbie. But you're gonna learn quick, when I tell you to do something, you do it."

Michonne had to put all of her effort into not killing the man who was dragging Rick by his hair. Every part of her wanted to defend the man she loved, but she knew fighting wasn't the best option for them at the moment. A glint of metal on the floor momentarily distracted her. While the guard was busy dragging Rick, a small cooking knife that had been attached to his belt fell off. Not believing her luck, she quickly grabbed it while all eyes were focused on Rick, and shoved it into her pants. The little girl who had escorted them around earlier, suddenly appeared at Michonne's side, startling her. The girl stared at Michonne as if she knew what she'd just done. "Don't. You won't get away with it" the girl whispered, and then she walked off. Michonne stared at the child.

The guard finally let go of Rick, gave Michonne a final glance as if daring her to do something, and returned to his post. Michonne slowly sat down in her spot, and stared at Rick, trying to see if he was ok. Rick, who was on his hands and knees looked up at her and their eyes met. _We're gonna kill them all._ Michonne nodded back to him. _We will._

After the break, everyone was herded back into their respective fields. Rick noticed as they entered, the guards counted how many people were in the enclosure.

 _So they keep track of their numbers, and they do a head count after the break._

Rick noted all of these things for future reference. People began picking up their gloves and pouches and continuing where they left off. Rick sighed, as he picked up his pouch and continued his back breaking task.

They worked until the sun made its way below the trees, and it began to get dark outside.

"Ok!" the guard yelled. "You can head out". This time everyone headed to one side of the field to drop off their bags and gloves, and then returned to the parking lot. Rick could smell food, and it made his stomach growl. He turned to Michonne to check if she was ok. He noticed her hands were red and she had a few cuts on her palm, like his. He wanted to kiss the blisters away, but he knew he couldn't. He would have to find out more about this place from that little girl. She could help them get out of here, he knew it. The elderly people scooped the same stew that they'd eaten for breakfast into their bowls, and this time a different guard directed he and Michonne to a spot in the same area. He plopped down next to her and they silently devoured their food and water while simultaneously observing the placement of the guards and prisoners during meal time.

When the sky was a deep blue color and it began getting chilly outside due to the approaching night, a bell rang, signaling the end of the meal. Everyone got up and headed back into the building. Rick's guard was high, not knowing what to expect next, and he could sense the same tension in Michonne.

They were led back into the hallway where their cell was, and realizing that they were about to be locked back in, he saw the panic flash across Michonne's face. Her body tensed and she looked like a deer in headlights. She could feel her heart racing, and her breathing sped up. Adrenaline coursed through her body. She stopped walking and began to back away, against the flow of the other workers.

"You. Keep walking." A guard yelled from behind them.

"C'mon Michonne, it'll be alright" Rick whispered, "It'll be ok".

"I'm not going back in there" she whispered back, panic rising in her voice.

A guard came up behind them. "What's the problem?" he asked. He was met with silence.

He eyed the two of them. "I said, what's the problem?"

"N-nothing" Rick said, grabbing Michonne's arm and leading her back to their cell. She twisted away and refused to go.

"I'm not going back in there" Michonne said, staring the guard in the eye.

"Oh really?" he laughed. "So where you gonna go? You wanna spend the night with me instead? 'Cuz that can be arranged. Actually, I think that'd be a sweeter idea. You don't have to go back in there at all sweetheart."

The man grabbed Michonne's arm and pulled her away from the cell. Rick ran at the man to pull Michonne back, but without warning Michonne pulled the knife from her pants and stabbed the man in the arm, making him let go.

"Fuck!" he screamed, staring at the knife sticking from his arm. The other prisoners looked on in horror, some of them locking themselves in their cells to get out of the way. Rick looked at Michonne in surprise, knowing this wouldn't end well. Five more guards came running towards them, and Rick pulled Michonne behind himself to protect her, but she quickly moved to his side again. As the other guards approached, the two of them attacked, throwing themselves on the guards. After a quick scuffle, Rick was hit in the face with the end of a bat, and Michonne was elbowed in the stomach, knocking the breath out of her. They both dropped to the ground in a heap, gasping for breath.

"Take that bitch outside" a guard said as he attempted to yank his stabbed buddy up from the floor.

Rick jumped in front of Michonne in an attempt to stop two of the guards from grabbing her, but she whispered "No Rick. I'll be ok. Just find a way to get out of here". The men quickly dragged Michonne down the hallway, and she went without a fight.

Two more guards held Rick's arms as he kicked and fought, throwing him into the cell and locking the door behind him. Rick ran to the door, banging and kicking at it, knowing that there was nothing he could do to get to Michonne. After a few seconds he finally stopped, listening to the guards' footsteps fading away. He was left alone in the dark, Michonne's fate completely out of his hands.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Trigger warning on this chapter for beatings**

Michonne allowed herself to be dragged down the hallway by two large guards. Her heart was still racing from the idea of being put back into that dark, tiny room. She was slightly ashamed of the way she'd freaked out. She knew that fighting these people now, without all the facts and an escape plan was foolish but she couldn't control her actions in that moment, and now she would pay the price. Whatever the price was, she'd try to use any angle she could to save Rick.

The men dragged her through the door leading outside and into the large abandoned parking lot. Although she was scared about what was about to happen, she took the time to carefully scope out what happened outside of the building at night. There was a bonfire burning in the middle of the lot, the same fire used to warm up the stew that was served during the day. That was the only source of light in the enclosure, leaving the area by the gates fairly dark and shadowy. She looked through the gates into the adjacent fields and could see a fire burning in front of every look-out tower, but still she had not glanced any people in the towers. There was only one other guard standing by the gate that led to the other fields, besides the two that were dragging her. She was roughly snapped out of her studies when both men simultaneously shoved her to the ground.

"You think you're gonna get away with stabbing Wes?" one of the men asked, staring down at her menacingly.

Michonne took a moment to collect herself. She wasn't thinking rationally before, but she was now. She calmly pushed herself off the ground and brushed dirt and pebbles off her jeans as the guards angrily stared.

"Who do you think you are? You don't run things around here, _I_ do." The guard yelled, bunching his fists as if he were going to hit her. Michonne was ready to defend herself if necessary, but she didn't respond, not wanting to escalate the situation further.

The conversation was abruptly interrupted when the Director strode through the doors into the parking lot, his short, chubby frame casting shadows in the dim light from the bonfire. He walked quickly and seemed extremely annoyed, his forehead wrinkled in frustration. When the guards caught sight of him Michonne was surprised to see that they immediately tensed up in fear. The Director didn't seem to be an intimidating man at all. He was the same height as her but much wider, and she was pretty sure she could beat the mess out of him, but the two guards showed him fear and respect. Michonne knew she was missing something.

"Really? Do you run things around here Tyler?" The Director asked loudly, calling out the guard that had spoken as he strode towards them.

"What? Um… no. No sir. Of course not. I was just… she…" Tyler the guard stuttered.

"What happened with Wes?" the Director asked the other man, ignoring Tyler's attempt to apologize.

"This woman stabbed him in the arm with a knife when he tried to put her back in her cell, Sir."

The Director turned his eyes to Michonne who straightened up and stared at him with a small smirk on her face.

"Why did you attack my guard?" The director asked calmly.

"He touched me, and I don't want to stay in that cell." she said simply, shrugging her shoulderes.

The Director nodded his head as if he were considering her words.

"And what of your cellmate?" he asked, staring into her eyes. He was studying her and she felt uncomfortable.

"What about him?" she asked, trying her best to stare him down the same way.

"Are the two of you a pair?"

"Hardly. I met him right before your people kidnapped me."

"What is your name?"

"Michonne."

"Michonne I must say I am impressed with the way you handled yourself. I could use many more like you. But, I cannot reward lawlessness. There are many rules here at The Farm and they all are for good reason. You must pay for what you've done to my guard. Blood is paid with blood."

Michonne's blood ran cold. _What did that mean?_

"What does that mean?" she asked.

"You will be held accountable for your actions. Punishment is in order."

"What kind of punishment?"

"You will be tied to the tree and lashed"

Michonne was taken aback. "A _lashing_? Are you kidding me? I think you're taking your role as crazed slave owner a little too far. No thanks."

"It wasn't a choice Michonne. It is the punishment for attacking a guard. And we must follow the rules." He must've seen Michonne's look of defiance because he added "or… I can get your _acquaintance_ in the cell to join you in this punishment. He tried to attack the guards as well I've heard."

Michonne could see the man was serious about getting Rick. "No. Leave him."

"You'll learn I am quite reasonable as long as you follow the rules. And when you don't, well, there's always a punishment." He stared at her for a few more seconds and she stared back at him, unblinking.

"You don't seem very afraid Michonne"

"I'm not. I've met worse than you."

"Yes, I imagine you have. Tie her up." He directed to the guard named Tyler.

The guard forced her to hug a tree and then tied her arms around the tree so that she was facing the tree with her back exposed. She wasn't going to run without Rick, and she couldn't free him from his cell at the moment, which meant she wouldn't be escaping tonight. She knew she could take whatever they dished out. She would accept whatever punishment they had in mind for her, as long as they didn't hurt Rick.

"We do need to make an example out of you, those are just the rules. But know that it's nothing personal. It may of course be personal between you and Wes, but that's another story. We will carry out the sentence tomorrow during the morning meal. But for the rest of the night you will stay out here."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXx

Rick paced back and forth in his cell like an animal. He couldn't stop and he couldn't sit down. Not with Michonne out there and those men doing God knows what to her. Occasionally Rick would hear noise in the hallway and he'd freeze and listen, hoping to hear the guards coming to return Michonne to her cell. That was his best case scenario. His worst case scenario would be hearing her screams.

When light started to shine from underneath the cell door it signaled the beginning of day 4 of this ordeal. Rick knew that he'd probably be let out in the morning, and he planned to find where they were holding Michonne, kill anyone who got in his way, and escape with her. He knew the plan wasn't thought out well considering he had no weapons, didn't know where Michonne was, didn't know how many guards he was dealing with, and had no idea how to get home, but he had to plan something to stop himself from becoming a quivering mess of tears on the floor. If they had killed her he knew all bets were off, they would all die.

The sound of doors unlocking caused his heart to pound. When his door was unlocked his eyes met the eyes of the little girl once again.

"Where is she?" Rick asked desperately.

"They have her tied up in the parking lot" the girl responded quietly, as there were other guards around.

"What did they do to her?" Rick asked more loudly, causing one of the guards to yell "shut up already! Go outside and see for yourself."

Rick turned and ran down the hallway and out the doors into the parking lot. The bright sunlight burned his eyes and he couldn't see, bumping into a few of the other workers as he ran. He scanned the lot but didn't see anything different from yesterday. People were lined up to receive their food just like before, until he spotted movement coming from one of the trees. He squinted and saw Michonne with her arms tied around the tree and her forehead resting against the rough tree bark. Without thinking, he dashed over to her, making it halfway to her before he was grabbed by the back of his shirt and yanked to the ground.

"Hey! You stupid or something? What do you think you're doing?" a guard yelled at him.

The noise drew Michonne's attention, and she turned her head to look at the commotion.

"Rick?" she called "Rick stop!"

"Michonne are you ok?" Rick called, ignoring the guard who was wrestling him.

"Hey! Shut up and get back over there for breakfast" the guard said, shoving Rick towards the breakfast line.

"I'm ok Rick" Michonne called.

"You shut up too bitch!" the guard yelled at Michonne.

Rick turned and swung on the guard so hard he knocked out one of his front teeth. The tooth went flying and the man screamed in shock and pain, holding his face. Rick continued to pound the man until he wasn't moving, and then leaped up, running in an attempt to free Michonne from the tree she was tied to. In seconds Rick was being held down by Tyler and another guard, as all the workers stared on in shock. The man Rick hit was unconscious and was quickly moved inside, presumably to get treatment for his bleeding tooth and busted face.

"Oh, you're gonna get it." Tyler whispered into Rick's ear. "You're gonna bleed for that. Just like your girl here. Two guards injured in two days. Your girl was just gonna get a whooping, but you, you're probably gonna lose some body parts for that one."

The men tied Rick to an adjacent tree the same way Michonne was, with his arms wrapped around the trunk. The Director appeared a few minutes later, dressed in a different suit and tie, and looking as overdressed as usual.

"And then there were two!" the Director said in a cheerful voice, loud enough for everyone in the yard to hear. "You all know that lawlessness will be punished here, and it's been a while since we've had to demonstrate that, but these newbies have volunteered to be the examples. Michonne stabbed a guard who was only doing his job. And her cellmate just assaulted a guard in front of your very eyes."

The Director whispered into the other guard's ear and the man unlocked a small shed. The guard pulled two long flexible looking sticks from the shed, locked it again, and handed one of the sticks to Tyler. Rick couldn't see the sticks well because he had his back to the shed, but they looked wooden.

"40 lashes should suffice for Michonne, and for her cellmate, 40 lashes _and_ break his finger" the Director said calmly. The guard nodded and walked up to Michonne, grabbing the back of her shirt and pulling it up so her back was exposed. She growled and tried to kick at him.

"Don't you touch her!" Rick yelled, struggling against the ropes. The other people in the parking lot either stared at the sight or continued eating, totally numb to what was happening.

"I would worry about yourself" the Director said, "you have a worse punishment than she does". The director moved a few feet back from the two guards who were tasked with carrying out the punishment, but he placed himself in a position to get a clear view. Rick saw the Director smirk out of the corner of his eye. This man was sick, he obviously got pleasure from other people's pain. The second guard, also holding the flexible stick, pulled up the back of Rick's shirt.

Rick turned his head to stare at Michonne and she stared back and nodded slightly. _We'll be ok._ Rick nodded back at her. Without much warning, Michonne was struck in the back with the stick. She breathed in sharply and her back arched as the stick left a stinging red mark across her back. She bit her lip, resigned not to make any noise or show any emotion in response to the violation she felt. A second whistling sound signaled Rick being hit in the back as well. His eyes narrowed but he kept them focused on Michonne. They locked eyes on each other and didn't look away as hit after hit was rained down on their backs. Michonne's lip had teeth marks in it as she was biting down on them with every hit. By # 12 the stinging was starting to become unbearable. The guard was now leaving cuts on top of the cuts that were already there, making the pain multiply. She couldn't help but let out a little whimper as lash #19 dug deeply into her back.

Rick was holding onto the tree bark and his nails were digging into it every time the stick came down on his back. The stinging got worse and worse with every lash, but he knew he had to stay strong for Michonne. He had to stay strong _with_ her. Staring into her eyes he could see she was also in pain. Her lip was bleeding from her teeth digging into it, and he could see tears welling up in her eyes. He had to stay strong for her, even though he wanted to cry himself. _It's ok_ he mouthed to her, even as the guard hit him so hard he temporarily lost eye contact with her and jumped from the impact. He could feel blood running down his back as they reached lash #27.

Michonne could see blood rolling down Rick's back and it broke her heart, but seeing the way he was trying to stay strong for her helped her keep her resolve. She couldn't help the tears that were involuntarily rolling down her cheeks, but she could control whether or not she cried out, and she set her mind to it that she wouldn't. Her back hurt so badly that she could no longer feel new pain. The lashes all blended together as one, and she could just hear the slap as the stick hit her skin again and again. Looking into Rick's eyes she was almost hypnotized. If she could dive into them and leave her body, she wouldn't be able to feel the pain anymore. She rested her head against the bark and tried to disappear into Rick's eyes as lash #33 came.

Watching Michonne being hurt was one of the most horrible things Rick had ever experienced. Second only to Carl being shot. He was beyond feeling his own lashes. He wished he could cover her body with his and absorb every hit for her. He could see her staring into his eyes and he stared back, sending her the only message he could. _I love you._ Sometime around lash #38 her eyes closed and she began to slump against the tree.

"Hey! Hey stop!" Rick yelled, "Stop she passed out."

The guard turned and looked at the Director. "Finish the sentence" he said calmly. The guard finished her final two lashes even though she was unconscious.

Rick was enraged. As he reached lash #40 the adrenaline was flowing through him so much he was sure he could rip the ropes off his hands out of pure rage, but it wouldn't help Michonne, and she was more important than he was. After his final lash, Tyler approached him with a hammer to carry out the final part of his sentence. Rick stared into Tyler's eyes in hatred as the man slammed the hammer down on Rick's pinky finger on his left hand.

"Ahhhhhhhhhh" Rick roared, his cry echoing off the walls around the silent parking lot. He breathed heavily, his breaths coming out in rasps as he tried to deal with the overwhelming pain. He glanced over at Michonne who was still slumped against the tree, her tied hands the only thing holding her up.

"Untie her. Please... please untie her" Rick begged through the waves of pain radiating from his finger and back.

"Shut up or she'll get more" the guard that had been hitting her said. Rick, believing he was serious, didn't say anything else.

The Director cleared his throat and said to the other workers, "That is the punishment for assaulting guards. Keep that in mind as you work. Go on and start your day." His voice sounded as if he were speaking in a lecture to college students, not like he had just ordered two people to be beaten mercilessly. Rick knew in his head and in his heart that this man was a monster. He needed to be destroyed.

All the workers headed for the gate leading to the fields, none of them making a sound. A few glanced over at Rick and Michonne in pity, but the majority ignored them.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Rick and Michonne were left tied to the trees for a half hour to add to their torture. Michonne still hadn't woken up and he called to her trying to get a response. She was almost in a kneeling position, but her knees didn't quite hit the floor, held off the ground by the fact that her hands were tied high above her from when she was standing. Her head was leaning against the rough bark, but he could see she was breathing.

 _At least she's alive. That's all I've got right now._

He could see blood dripping from her wounds and he could feel his own blood rolling down his back. He couldn't move his left hand without his pinky finger radiating pain up his arm. He knew the two of them were in bad shape, and they were in no condition to resist. They had to play by the rules. At least for now.

After a half hour in the sun, the guards who had lashed them came back. All Rick could do was stare as one untied Michonne's hands and she collapsed to the ground. The guy wrapped his arms under her underarms and dragged her towards the building. "Hey!" Rick yelled.

The second guard blocked Rick's view of her. "You wanna keep talking tough guy?" the man asked. Rick shook his head no as he tried to look around the man and see where Michonne was being taken.

"Your girl will be fine if you calm the fuck down and do what you're told. All we want you to do is work. It's that simple. If you get with the program you can live and so can she."

Rick nodded his head. "Ok. Ok… just... please, where is she going?"

"Same place you are, asshole." The guard untied Rick from the tree, and the act of his arms being moved to his sides caused pain to shoot across his back. Rick groaned as softly as he could manage. The guard held on to Rick's arm and escorted him inside and back to his cell. He shoved Rick inside, and Rick nearly tripped on Michonne who had been dropped face first in the middle of the cell. The door quickly slammed shut, locking them inside.

Rick plopped down on the ground next to Michonne and struggled to pull his shirt off. The shirt moving up his body caused severe burning in the wounds on his back, but with determination he got the shirt off and gently maneuvered it underneath Michonne's head so that her face wasn't resting on the hard, cold ground. He couldn't see her wounds or his own, but he tentatively touched the back of her shirt and could feel it was wet from blood seeping through. Unconcerned about his own injuries, including his shattered pinky finger, he pulled up the back of Michonne's shirt hoping the air would help a scab to form more quickly on her back, and hopefully stop the bleeding. Rick then laid down next to her on his stomach.

Suddenly and without warning, Michonne was awake.

"Rick?" she mumbled.

"Hey, I'm here. I'm right here." He said, touching her arm.

"We're back in the cell again. Did I pass out?" she asked.

"Yes you did. But we're both still alive. That's what's important."

"Rick let me see your back" Michonne said, attempting to push herself off the floor, but she was stopped by the shooting pain.

"Don't move" Rick ordered. "You need to stay still and let scabs form on your back. Every time you try to move around you're gonna open up the wounds again."

Michonne sighed but followed Rick's instructions.

"What happened after I passed out?" Michonne asked, ignoring her painful back to reach over and rest her hand on Rick's curls.

"One of the guards broke my finger I think" Rick said, enjoying the feel of her fingers in his hair.

Michonne's hands paused. "Oh my God. Are you…"

"It's ok. I'm ok, because you're ok. As long as you keep running your fingers through my hair like that, I can take it."

Michonne smiled and continued playing in Rick's hair. "I'm sorry. This is my fault. I'm sorry I freaked out about going back in the cell."

"Don't apologize" Rick said, glad that the conversation was making him focus on the pain a little less. "It wasn't your fault. I punched a guy too. We need to heal up, and then talk to that little girl. She has access to the cell keys and it seems like she has free run of the place. She can help us, I know it."

Michonne continued playing in Rick's curls.

"Michonne. Are you ok? What happened when they took you?" Rick asked.

"I'm ok Rick. They just tied me up out there. But there's something about the Director, he seems…"

"Off" Rick finished. "Yea, I saw it too. He was smirking right before they hit you. It's like he gets happy off the pain of others."

"The guards are scared of him. I see it in their eyes. Maybe we can use that somehow." Michonne said.

"Yea. We will. And we're gonna go home. I promise you that." Rick said. "Watching what they did to you… It was one of the worst things I've ever…" Rick began to choke up.

"Thank you for being strong for me" Michonne whispered, tears rolling down her face as well. "I knew if I could just look at you, I could be strong. I got lost in your eyes and I knew I could get through it. You give me strength."

Rick slid closer to Michonne, letting out a few groans and grunts in the process as some of his wounds reopened. They leaned towards each other as far as they could but neither was able to reach the other's mouth. Michonne settled for kissing Rick's Bicep, and Rick was able to reach the tip of her nose.

Their hands then found each other's and they entwined their fingers as they lay on their bellies. They lay in silence, both trying not to focus on how badly their injuries hurt.

"Rick?" Michonne asked.

"Yea baby" Rick responded.

"I have to pee" she whispered.


	5. Chapter 5

Day 5

The previous night had been hell for both Rick and Michonne. They were practically immobile due to their severe wounds from the lashing they'd received. The only time either of them attempted to move was to relieve themselves. Rick had been able to drag the bucket closer to them, but they still had to get upright to some degree in order to reach it. Every time the cuts began to close, they'd move and reopen them again. They were miserable and tried to sleep as much as possible to put themselves out of their misery.

In the morning, they were startled awake by the cell door slowly creaking open. Michonne turned her head behind her to see who had opened it, and was distressed to see a familiar face. Wes, the guard she had stabbed, was watching them from the doorway.

"Payback's a bitch ain't it" he said smugly. Rick turned to glare at him. "The Director asked me to give y'all these apples and this water. Apparently, he doesn't want you dying right before harvest time when we need all the help we can get. But you know? He didn't say _how_ I should give it to you."

Rick and Michonne watched helplessly as Wes aimed and shot both of the apples into the pee bucket. The apples hit the bottom and splashed urine on the floor.

"Ooops" he said, shrugging his shoulders. "Now I'll be nicer and give you this water, but you're just gonna have to work for it." Wes put the cups of water down on the opposite side of the cell so that they'd have to crawl for it if they wanted to drink. "Think of that as a friendly gift. You're welcome" he added before slamming the cell door shut again.

"He's top on the kill list" Michonne muttered, causing Rick to smile. It hurt too much to laugh.

"I'll bring the water back over here" Michonne volunteered.

"No. I got it" Rick said.

"No. Stay." Michonne commanded, reaching out an arm to steady Rick from moving. She slowly pushed herself up to her hands and knees, feeling the healing skin on her back stretch painfully. She let out a small whimper as the newly forming scabs began to break again, but she bit her already injured lip and bared it. She dragged her battered body 5 feet to the other side of the cell, and carefully slid the cups of water back to where Rick was. She took a quick sip and the cool water quenched her parched throat. Rick did the same, gulping down the entire cup. When they were finished, they both laid back down.

"You think Carl and Judith are ok?" Rick asked after a long silence.

"Yes. Of course. Carl will take care of her." Michonne answered, "I know the group is out there looking for us."

"Yea. But will they find us is the real question." Rick said almost under his breath.

"They will Rick. And if they don't, we'll find them. Our story doesn't end here. Not like this. Not by their hands. We'll see them again." Michonne said, her voice ringing with conviction.

"Ok" Rick said, nodding in the darkness even though she couldn't see him. They laid on the floor for hours, the cold from the concrete soaking into their bones. They were both chilly, and Michonne forced Rick to take his shirt which she had been using as a pillow. He struggled to put his head and arms through the holes and she pulled it down to cover his body and his damaged back. They then turned on their sides to face each other with great effort, and moved as closely together as possible, hugging each other to keep the other warm. Rick fell asleep with Michonne's warm breath blowing on his chest.

Hours later they were both roused again by the door creaking open. This time it was the little girl. She had two bowls of stew and two cups of water.

"Here. It's time to eat" she said softly, placing the cups and bowls on the ground in front of them. She made no eye contact with them and quickly turned to leave, pulling the door to close it behind her.

"Wait!" Rick called, and the girl stopped but didn't turn back to look at him.

"Wait" Rick said again. "What's your name?"

"Nobody asks me that" the girl said softly, not turning around.

"No one asks your name?" Michonne asked, confused.

"No"

"Do you want to tell us?" Rick asked.

"Jada" she said, now turning around to face them.

"Hi Jada, I'm Rick and this is Michonne. Thank you for bringing us food." Rick said.

"The Director told me to" Jada replied, shrugging her shoulders.

"Yes, but we're grateful" Michonne added, "Thank you Jada"

Jada looked from Michonne to Rick uncertainly and with a frown on her face. She looked as though she were figuring out if they were trying to trick her. She pushed a few strands of her bushy hair away from her face.

"Girl! Get over here. You were supposed to sweep the storage area hours ago. What have you been doing?" someone called loudly from down the hall. Without another word, Jada slammed the cell door closed and her footsteps could be heard hurrying down the hall.

"I guess that was a start?" Rick whispered. "We need her to trust us. She's our way out of here."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Day 7

Rick and Michonne had been in captivity for a week, and locked in their cell for two days. Michonne was once again at the end of her rope as the constant confinement was becoming unbearable. She had had another panic attack, and the fact that she wasn't very mobile made it worse. It happened at night, and although it was dark, Rick could hear her breathing increase next to him. He reached out to her and he could feel that she had pulled herself up to her hands and knees, ignoring her injured back because she couldn't breathe. Every breath was a gasp and Rick was concerned. He pushed himself upwards as well and could feel the skin on his back pull tightly.

"It's ok" he comforted her. He placed himself in front of her, sat back on his knees and grabbed both of her hands, placing them on his chest. "Breathe with me" he commanded, "You feel my breaths, match my breathing".

Michonne tried to slow down her breathing, but she couldn't shake the feeling that the walls were slowly moving in on her. Her chest felt tight like someone was sitting on top of her. She felt like she was dying.

She sat back on her knees and leaned her upper body closer to Rick, resting her head on his shoulder. He could feel her quick breathing on his neck. He wanted to wrap his arms around her but he was afraid of hurting her back any further, so he rested his hands on her thighs.

"It's ok baby. You're ok. You just need to breathe. In and out. You're safe here with me. We won't be here forever. You'll see Carl and Judy again. We'll get out of here, and no one will ever hurt you again. You just have to breathe. In and out. In and out. That's it. That's my girl." Rick whispered in her ear as he rubbed her thighs.

"Sing. Please." Michonne whispered in between breaths.

Rick, wanting badly to calm her down began singing 'Let's stay together'. "I- I'm so in love with you. Whatever you want to do, is alright with meee..."

Michonne tried to focus on Rick's voice as he sang to her, and her heartrate and breathing slowed down. Rick noticed the change after a minute or two and stopped singing.

"Feeling better?" he asked.

"Yea" she whispered, still feeling a little shaky, but much better than she had a few minutes ago.

"Lay back down" Rick suggested.

"No" Michonne said determinedly, "I've been laying down for two days. They hurt us but they didn't break us. We may not be able to run for a few days, but the next time that girl comes in here we have to get her on our side. I can't sit here and do nothing anymore."

"I know" Rick agreed, "Me neither, but until we get an opportunity to run, we have to keep our strength up, and that means resting when we can."

Michonne reluctantly agreed, and the two of them settled down again, but neither of them slept.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Hours later, the sound of the door unlocking startled Rick and Michonne who painfully pushed themselves up to their hands and knees. "The Director said you have to go to the orchards today. He said you should be healed enough to work." Jada announced with her head down, not looking at the pair.

"Jada, why did you help us?" Rick asked suddenly, his words startling the girl. She just stared. "You said we wouldn't get away. You said you didn't want to see it again. What happens to people who try to get away?"

A forlorn look rolled across the little girl's face. Her eyes unfocused and her brow scrunched up into a frown.

"It's ok" Michonne said, attempting to stand upright for the first time in two days. After a few seconds of struggle she pulled herself to her full height, wincing at the pull of the skin on her back, and the sharp pain from the raw wounds. "Jada it's ok to tell us. We just want to go home. We have children at home. We have a family."

"You have kids?" Jada asked in shock, her eyes widening. "How are they still alive? No one ever has kids…"

"They're alive for the same reason _you_ are. They're tough." Rick added, also stumbling to his feet but carefully avoiding putting pressure on his broken finger.

Jada looked at the pair of them and then glanced backwards towards the door, staying vigilant against guards.

"No one ever escapes" she whispered, "He has traps. If you try to run, you'll die. And if you don't die he will bring you back here and… he's really bad. He... he does horrible things to people. What he did to you is nothing. Even the guards were surprised he didn't cut something off. I've seen him pull people's skin off while they screamed…" Jada stopped speaking, but the horror in her eyes told them everything they needed to know.

"Jada we want to go home to our children, and we'll take you with us if you want to come. You've been looking out for us from the beginning. You warned us not to try to escape. You found a way for us to work in the same field together. You tried to warn me about hiding the knife, but I didn't listen. We owe you, so let us help you. No one deserves to live like this. The place we're from has good people that would never do what the Director does. You would be safe there, just tell us what you know. Help us to get you out of here." Michonne pleaded.

"No one ever gets away" Jada emphasized.

"We will" Rick assured her, "but only if you help us."

"What do you want to know?" Jada asked skeptically.

"How many guards work here?" Rick asked.

"I don't know, I never counted" Jada responded.

"Do you know all the guards?" Michonne asked.

"I guess... most of them. At least the ones that watch the prisoners. There are more that deal with the gates and the monsters outside. I don't see them that much."

"Are there a lot of those guards?" Rick asked.

"Um... I don't... I don't know ok? I never paid attention. I'm gonna get in trouble if they catch us talking. The Director said to eat and then go to the apple orchards today. I have to go." Jada said, turning around.

Rick could see she was frustrated and scared.

"Thank you" he called after her, but she didn't respond as she went to open cells for the other prisoners.

"That's a start" Michonne whispered.

"She's afraid, and with good reason. We have to give her time. With the stuff she's seen we're lucky she talks at all."

They would have to make their own observations for now. Right before they left the cell, Rick whispered "Try to count and recognize all the guards. See if these are the same people from before or if we're dealing with new ones. That can give us a clue to how many there are."

Michonne nodded as they left their cell. They received curious looks from the other prisoners who undoubtedly watched their punishment, and horrified stares were directed to the backs of their shirts which still had blood stains that had soaked through. Michonne realized that she hadn't gotten a chance to see how bad the damage was due to the dark cell they were staying in.

"Turn around" she demanded of Rick. He turned his back to her and she took in the dried maroon colored blood stains that peppered his shirt. She reached out a hand and gently lifted the back of his shirt, causing him to suck in a breath when the material brushed an open wound.

"Sorry" she whispered.

She was horrified by the number of red slashes marring his back. The lines were overlapping and still swollen and puffy. Her silence worried him.

"It's bad, isn't it?" he asked.

"As bad as could be expected" she muttered, trying to play it down. She gently pulled his shirt back down.

"Let me see yours" Rick demanded, turning her around. She lifted the sides of her shirt and he pulled up the back unveiling a horrible road map of red lines that crisscrossed her back. The deepest cuts hadn't made scabs yet and were still open and raw. He almost cried when he realized how much pain she had been in. No wonder she'd fainted.

"I'm so sorry" he whispered. Michonne, holding back her own tears at the guilt in his voice and her vision of his own back, pulled down her shirt and turned to face him.

"You don't need to be" she said, placing a hand on his cheek, "but they will."

"Move your asses!" a guard called from the doorway that led outside. Rick noticed he'd never seen him before, although he could've just never noticed him before. Rick and Michonne moved as quickly as they could through the door and outside into the parking lot. They took their place on the food line while scanning the area for guards. Tyler, who was the guard that was lashing Rick, and the guard that was lashing Michonne, were talking to each other near the food table. Wes, the guard Michonne had stabbed, was standing by the entrance to the fields with the same guard that had let them into the fields three days before. Rick recognized the faces of three of the other guards, and the other seven who scattered the yard Rick couldn't remember if he'd seen them before or not. He glanced at Michonne and he whispered "There's at least five that I don't think I've seen before."

"Yea me neither" Michonne replied.

They followed the same routine they had done before, waiting on line to get their food and cup of water, but this time one of the guards pointed for them to sit on opposite sides of the parking lot. Rick nodded at Michonne and then sat where he was placed. A man sitting next to him snapped his fingers, drawing Rick's attention.

"You took that shit like a champ" he whispered.

"What?" Rick asked, totally taken off guard.

"You and your girl. Took that shit like champs." He repeated, glancing around to see if he drew the guards attention. "Y'all in the army or something?"

"No" Rick whispered, looking at the man. The guy was much bigger than Rick and looked much stronger. His hands had deep cuts and blisters from what must've been months of hard farm work.

"When they did that shit to me they got 10 lashes in before I ripped free of those ropes, almost fucking strangled one of those guards before they knocked me out. Thought they'd kill me, but the Director, I think he likes the strong ones. Probably thought I'd do more good as a worker than dead. Dude's a fucking psychopath though…" The man held up his hand showing his pinky and ring fingers were missing. "Got this instead. I heard he picked up the fingers afterwards. God knows where they are."

Rick's stomach turned at the mutilated hand. This man had been through the same thing they had and hated the Director just as much. _The enemy of my enemy is my friend._

"Rick Grimes" Rick whispered, nodding at the man.

"Jorje Delapaz" the man responded.

Their conversation came to a halt as a guard walked by. Jorje dug his hands into his bowl to scoop up some of his stew, and Rick took a gulp of water until the guard was far enough away not to hear them.

"You've ever seen anyone get out of here?" Rick asked, not looking at Jorje to hide the fact that he was talking. He heard a snort come from behind him.

"Good luck with that" a woman with short black hair muttered. "No one escapes. Why do you think the guards are so fucking relaxed all the time? If there was a way out we would've been gone long ago."

"Nah Rick, ain't no way out of here. You work or you die. Some people rather die, that's the people who run. But the Director brings 'em back, makes 'em regret running, and then kills 'em. And then they do their work in the traps." Jorje chimed in.

Rick wanted to learn more about the traps but a bell chimed signaling the end of breakfast. Everyone rose and made their way to the tables to bring back their bowls and cups, and then headed towards the fields.

Michonne discreetly made her way over to Rick. She could tell he had things to talk to her about but they couldn't speak without being overheard. They followed the long line towards the gates that led to the fields. When the guard at the gate saw them, he let out a loud laugh.

"Hey! Nice to see you two back on the work force. Have fun on vacation?" he mocked, slapping Rick's back causing him to yell out in pain. Michonne lunged towards the man, but Rick grabbed her shoulder and pulled her forward as the man laughed hysterically.

"Soon" Rick whispered to Michonne as they followed the crowd through the chain-linked gates until they reached what they assumed was the orchards. Another guard who Rick had never seen before was waiting by the gates. The man barely looked at them as he ordered "Get a bag, pick the apples, shut your mouth."

The two of them did as they were told and picked apples for hours. Every time they reached upwards to get the apples, it pulled at the healing skin on their backs, and within an hour they were in pain. By break time the pain was extreme.

They were able to sit together during the break and found a spot in the shade of the very tree Michonne had been tied to. Michonne reached out and stroked Rick's hand, and her touch eased the pain slightly. Rick was shocked when Jorje joined them.

"Jorje" Rick said in acknowledgement.

"Rick" Jorje responded as he plopped down beside them.

Michonne looked between the two of them with a look that said ' _you know each other?'_

"When you get back to your cell, it helps if you lay on your back on the cold floor. I know that seems like a bad idea, but the cold gets rid of the pain, y'know?" Jorje suggested with a knowing look.

Michonne looked from Rick to Jorje. "Thanks" Rick said.

"Do you know where the traps are?" Rick whispered.

Jorje laughed. "If I did they wouldn't be very good traps would they? I just know they're there. Saw someone fall right in once. Dude tried to climb the gate in one of the fields. The guards just watched. It looked like grass but soon as his foot went in it he fell right through. There were dead in there. They tore him right up. That was my first week here."

"If we found a way to get out of here, would you want to come?" Rick asked quietly.

"Ain't no way out of here Rick. The faster you accept that, the better it'll be for you and your lady."

"If we found a way. Would you help us?" Rick asked again.

"Dude, if there was a way, I'd kill all these motherfuckers in a second. But nobody has found an escape as far as I know."

"Why did you decide to talk to me?" Rick asked.

"Badasses can recognize badasses. I respect the badassery" Jorje said, chuckling to himself. Rick and Michonne let out a small chuckle themselves but stopped when they caught the attention of one of the guards.

"Do you know how many guards are here?" Michonne asked Jorje under her breath.

"I've counted 35 before, but I don't know if that number is accurate. They have different schedules. Sometimes they're working sometimes they're not. I don't know where they go when they're not working. That one, Tyler, he's a piece of shit. That's the one that was lashing _you_ Rick. Almost as bad as the Director. He eyes the ladies, so watch your back…" Jorje turned to Michonne waiting for her to give her name.

"Michonne" Michonne replied.

"Yea watch your back Michonne. He's a fucking creep. I'm pretty sure he's done some bad things to the women here."

The bell ringing ended their conversation. Rick nodded at Jorje again before he climbed to his feet and helped Michonne to hers.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

After they were locked in that night, Rick and Michonne took Jorje's advice and laid on their backs for the first time in three days. Once they got over the initial pain, the cold floor did help to soothe their swollen, painful backs.

"35 guards watching a hundred prisoners. We outnumber them. If we get enough people to help, we can do this. I think we got it wrong… trying to escape. We don't have to escape or sneak out. If we kill the guards we can drive right out of here" Michonne mused. "They don't have guns. It'll be hand to hand. We've gotten through worse with Terminus and Woodbury."

"Yea, but that was with our family behind us. These people are scared. Some of them look like they've been here for so long they've been brainwashed to think there is no escape."

"We just have to convince them there's something better than this. That they're strong enough to do this. At least we've got one person on our side"

"Two" Rick responded, "Jada will help us. I know it. Did you see how excited she was when we said there were other kids?"

"Ok, I'll work on Jada, you work on Jorje. We can do this." Michonne said.

Rick grabbed her hand. "Yea. We can do this."

Day 8

Jada opened their cell in the morning again.

"Morning Jada" Rick and Michonne said simultaneously. Jada froze as if she had been shocked.

"Good… morning" she said softly.

"Jada. Um… can I ask you a question?" Michonne asked.

Jada's eyes got wide and then she narrowed them suspiciously. "What?" she asked.

Michonne motioned for Jada to come closer. "Can I trust you?" Michonne asked.

"Can I trust _you_?" Jada asked cheekily.

Michonne laughed at the girl's attitude.

"Yes, you can trust me" Michonne responded.

"Fine, then you can trust _me_ I guess" Jada replied.

"Ok good" Michonne said, letting out a little sigh of relief that made Rick chuckle a little. "Now that we've gotten _that_ out of the way. Jada, we need your help. You are a very special girl. You have responsibilities that the guards don't give anyone else. They give you the keys to the cells, and they let _you_ walk around when they don't let anyone else."

Jada was listening intently and she looked mesmerized, as if no one had ever told her she was special.

"Only _you_ can help us" Michonne said slowly, looking into the girl's eyes.

"How?" Jada asked.

"When they give you the keys to open the door in the morning, do they ever take it back?"

"Yea, after I let the workers out and clean the cells" Jada said. Michonne's heart dropped. So this girl had been cleaning their cells. They had wondered who emptied the pee buckets and swept the floors every day.

"Do you have the keys to any other places here?"

"Yes. Just to the storage room and the tool locker 'cuz I clean those rooms. But they only give it to me when I'm supposed to clean it." Jada replied.

Michonne turned her head to glance at Rick. _The tool locker?_

"Jada, what kind of things are in the tool locker?" Michonne asked.

The wheels in Jada's head were turning as she glanced from Michonne to Rick. "You want to hurt the guards, don't you?" she asked.

"No" Michonne said with a straight face, "We want to _kill_ the guards."

Fear quickly crossed Jada's face, but as she stared into Michonne's eyes she could tell that Michonne was determined, and very, very serious.

"Ok" Jada whispered "I'll help you."


	6. Chapter 6

"Ok" Jada whispered, "I'll help you."

Michonne smiled at Rick and then bent down so that she'd be at eye level with Jada. "Thank you. I promise we will get you out of here. _We_ promise. But you can't tell anyone what we're talking about, ok?"

Jada rolled her eyes. "Duh. I'm not dumb you know. You think I wanna be killed?"

Michonne and Rick simultaneously snorted out a laugh, surprised by the girl's cheekiness.

Jada turned to leave the cell but spun around again. "Are you two married?" she asked hopefully, shocking the two of them into silence. Michonne quickly turned to Rick.

"Um… no. We're… we aren't…" Rick stuttered, "why do you ask?"

"I just… my… uh, nothing" Jada stumbled, turning around and walking off. Rick glanced at Michonne who seemed thoroughly confused, and he then looked down at the floor guiltily. The two of them left their cell to head outside.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The next time they came across Jorje was at the evening meal.

"The cold floor, it worked" Rick whispered as the man plopped down next to him.

"Happy to help" Jorje said before scooping some of the stew into his mouth. He immediately spit it out.

"What?" Michonne whispered nervously, thinking they were being poisoned.

"Ehh… cabbage. I hate cabbage. You'd think with all this shit we're growing they'd give us some better stuff to eat, y'know?" Jorje asked.

"Yea" Michonne agreed.

"Do you know anyone else who would be willing to help us get out of here? You know, if we had a plan?" Rick asked, risking the fact that Jorje may be a spy. Although they couldn't be sure of Jorje's loyalties, his missing fingers and the obvious lash marks on his back made Rick think he wasn't lying about hating the Director.

Jorje's eyes flicked back and forth between Rick and Michonne as the pair stared at him.

"Maybe" Jorje said cautiously. "Why, y'all got a plan?"

"We might" Rick replied, "I'll let you know."

Jorje nodded as he gulped down his cup of water. "I'll see who I can talk to in the meantime. There's a few folks here who share in the badassery."

Their conversation was ended by the proximity of one of the guards. They finished their food in silence and headed back to their cells for the night.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXx

Day 10

A plan was in the works. Michonne had asked Jada to scope out the tool locker and storage shed when she went in there to clean it, and keep an inventory on useful items that could be used as weapons. Jayda reported back that the locker was full of shovels, axes, saws, and other gardening tools that were potentially fatal if in the right hands.

Against Rick and Michonne's wishes, Jada had begun to steal small tools from the shed, hiding them in the pee bucket, the only object in the pair's cell. Rick and Michonne had no idea until Rick went to use the bucket and noticed a sharp metal garden hoe on the bottom and a long ice pic. The next morning, they had asked the girl not to hide weapons. They didn't want to put her in danger or for her to get caught.

"No" she said stubbornly. "I want to help. If something happens, you have to be ready. You can't just hope I have the key and can let you into the shed. I know how to get them out without anyone noticing, I'll be careful. I have a few spots where I've hidden other things and nobody's found them. Trust me, no one goes in these cells but me when I empty the buckets. The guards won't find them."

During their breaks, if Rick or Michonne was able to, they'd try to sit next to Jorje and whisper to him. He told them that there were three other people that he was sure would join them if they wanted to revolt, but seeing as though they usually weren't able to talk to each other openly it was hard to coordinate more.

Six people and a child versus thirty plus guards. Rick wasn't happy with those odds. And so, they continued to wait and plan, hoping for an opportunity to do more than that.

And on day ten it came. During the afternoon break a truck rumbled into the parking lot from around the other side of the building that Rick and Michonne had never glimpsed. One of the guards must've unlocked a gate. The truck parked in the middle of the lot and the workers excitedly took notice. Many stood to get a better view. The Director hopped down from the passenger side with a grin on his face, and a magnanimous attitude that reminded Michonne of the Governor.

"I have a treat" he declared loudly to the silent crowd. "The scavenging team found a clothing store, and we have some new clothes for all of you. You can take a break today. The girl is putting buckets of water in all your cells for you to wash and change your clothes."

There was excited chatter from all the people who's smelly, ripped clothing was basically rags. Even Michonne was slightly relieved that she could finally change out of the disgusting bloodstained clothing she had been wearing for over a week now, but she wasn't distracted by the gifts. She searched the area for any opportunity to get some intel.

The workers surged towards the truck full of clothes as guards threw random shirts and pants into the crowd. People grabbed what they could, not caring what size they got. Some stripped on the spot, kicking off their stained rags and putting the clean clothes over their dirty bodies. Others grabbed as many clothes as they could and then bartered with others for the correct sizes. Jorje was hanging back from the crowd and Rick and Michonne quickly made their way over to him.

"They do this once and a while to bring morale up" Jorje whispered. "It's like starving people and then throwing them a cracker every few days to make them think you care."

Michonne looked around the yard and noticed that there were many guards out in the yard. They had probably come outside to watch the workers push each other and scramble for clothes. The Director definitely seemed to be enjoying the spectacle as he leaned against the truck and watched the workers scramble.

"Where did that truck come from?" Michonne whispered to Jorje. "Have you ever seen the other side of the building?"

"No, they only let us out here or to the fields" Jorje whispered back.

"Well that gate that it came through is another way to get out of here" Rick said, nodding towards the side of the building.

Their attention was abruptly drawn by a commotion happening by where the Director was standing. One of the guards was dragging Jada by the arm as she twisted and pulled trying to get away.

"What's this?" the Director asked.

"I found her in your office sir, going through your drawers. She wouldn't tell me what she was looking for though." The guard explained as he shoved her forward.

The Director stared down at Jada who shook in fear.

"Why were you going through my things?" he asked. Rick and Michonne began to slowly make their way closer, fearing for the girl's life.

"I… I wasn't!" she exclaimed, "I was just cleaning!"

"You were told to put water in the cells, not clean my office!" the Director yelled, suddenly enraged. "I let you roam free in here, and this is how you repay me? Being a little sneak? Did someone put you up to this? Who told you to go through my things?"

By now, the entire parking lot was watching the scene unfold. Jada was shaking in terror as the Director roughly grabbed her arm. Michonne's heart dropped as she saw how scared the girl was.

The Director shook Jada hard. "What were you doing?!" he yelled, and Jada burst into tears. "Tie her up!" the Director ordered, and a guard dragged her off towards one of the trees.

"No. He's not gonna…" Michonne started in disbelief, but when she saw the guard tying Jada the same way they had been tied, her disbelief turned to rage.

"Hey!" Rick yelled, "she's just a little girl, leave her alone!"

The Director ignored Rick's yell as a guard passed him one of the flexible sticks.

"Yo, you're a grown ass dude, you ain't about to hit no little girl!" Jorje warned, taking a few steps forward. The Director turned to face Jorje's obvious threat, and the guards moved forward to grab Rick and Jorje. One guard wrapped his arm around Rick's neck from behind to hold him in a chokehold, when Michonne kicked the guard in the hip, causing him to fall to the floor. Jorje punched the guard that was advancing on him, and kicked the man in the face when he fell down.

"Aren't you tired of being animals?" Jorje yelled to the other workers, "Y'all really gonna sit here as he beats a little girl with a stick? Fuck these hijos de puta. I'm getting outta here!"

The other workers stared on stupefied as Rick, Michonne, and Jorje made a circle with their backs facing each other.

"Hey! Get them under control!" The Director yelled.

Guards ran towards them from all directions. They were completely outnumbered, but at this point the only thing they could do was defend themselves. Michonne thought that if this was how she and Rick were to die, at least it would be together, and fighting for what's right. She felt Rick squeeze her shoulder briefly before he tackled the nearest guard.

Michonne dodged a punch from Tyler, the guard that had lashed Rick, before slamming her palm into his solar plexus. He grabbed her hair as he fell, causing her to crash down on top of him. Holding a handful of her hair in his right hand he slapped her with his left. Michonne turned her head as much as she could and bit into the forearm of the hand that was holding her hair. Tyler yelled and let go of her, and she took the opportunity to knee him in the groin and snatch a knife from his belt, not hesitating to stab it through his chest. Blood poured from him as she removed the knife and rolled to her feet, catching Rick strangling another man on the ground. Michonne quickly ended the man fighting Rick with another knife through the chest.

Suddenly, a sight she never thought she'd see met her eyes. The workers who were watching the brawl in front of them, began fighting back. It was just two others at first, it must've been the men Jorje had told them about. One tripped a guard that was running towards Jorje to help subdue him. Another elbowed Wes, the guard that had thrown Rick and Michonne's food into the pee bucket, in the stomach. And suddenly, out of nowhere, the others joined in. Pulling, yanking, punching, kicking, clawing at the guards.

Michonne felt someone grab her in a bear hug from behind and she dropped to her knees and leaned forward, flipping the person over her back. As he landed on the ground she plunged the knife into his chest. She then took off running to the tree to free Jada who was still tied there. The girl was trembling as tears ran down her face. Michonne cut her free and the girl threw her arms around Michonne's waist.

"I'm sorry" she cried, "I know he has a gun in there. I was trying to get it for you. I'm sorry."

Michonne rubbed the girl's back as she simultaneously kept a look out for approaching guards.

"It's ok. Run inside and hide. Stay put until one of us comes to get you."

"I can help" Jada said.

"I know. I know you can. But what I really need is for you to hide, so I won't worry about you. OK?" Michonne asked.

Jada nodded and then ran back towards the building.

Michonne glanced back towards Rick who had gotten a club off a guard and was using it to beat a man's head in. Michonne then turned towards the gate where the truck had come in. Four more guards were running towards them from that direction.

 _That's a way out. I have to keep that gate open._

Michonne turned and sprinted towards the clothing truck. Workers and guards were tussling all around, and to her relief she could see at least two workers on every one of the guards, swarming and beating them. Although the guards had weapons and they were injuring people, the sheer number of workers were making up for it. Michonne sidestepped a worker who was holding a guard in a headlock while another worker punched him repeatedly in the stomach. She got to the truck and yanked the door open, climbing into the driver's seat. To her absolute delight the key was still in the ignition. She started the truck, startling those who were fighting around her.

Careful not to run the good guys over, she turned and headed straight for the gates. She picked up speed as she went, causing people to dive out of the way. She slammed the truck into the gate on the side of the building, causing it to swing off its hinges. She drove into another parking lot where a dozen more guards were hiding. These guards had guns.

They opened fire on the truck causing Michonne to duck down behind the wheel as bullets bounced off the sides or penetrated the windows. Keeping her foot on the gas pedal, Michonne headed straight for the gun fire and she crashed into the guards head on, crushing at least four under the truck. She reversed the truck and spun it around, chasing down the fleeing guards who had given up on shooting and were trying to stay out of her way. When there was no one left shooting, Michonne paused and searched her surroundings. What she saw caused her to suck in a breath.

The front gates of this place were surrounded by walkers. Possibly a hundred or more. The noise she made from knocking down the gates, and the gun shots, had made them more excited, and they were clawing at the front gates, desperately trying to get inside.

 _We can't get out this way._

Discouraged, she turned the truck around to head back to the parking lot to help with the battle and check on Rick and Jorje. She drove over the destroyed gate and headed back, catching the Director out of the corner of her eye dashing into the building. Michonne quickly scanned the area for Rick and found him and Jorje double teaming the guard that had stood watch at the gates leading into the fields.

"Rick!" Michonne shouted. He turned and sprinted towards her, leaving Jorje to finish the guard off with a stomp to the head.

"The Director just ran inside. We need him to figure out how to get out of here. We can't leave through the front gates, we're surrounded by Walkers" She explained as she hopped out of the truck.

The two of them dashed inside after him. The inside of the building sounded and looked empty, and their footsteps echoed off the walls. The loud sounds of screaming, fighting and yells filtered in from outside.

Rick nodded towards the Director's office, the most obvious place to look first, but Michonne gripped his arm.

"Our weapons" she whispered, motioning towards their cell, and the garden tools Jada had hidden in the pee bucket. The two of them turned and crept towards the hallway with the cells. Rick admired how silent Michonne was, her catlike footfalls barely making a sound.

When they reached their cell, a blur of movement startled them as Jada leaped out of a corner shoving the garden hoe into Rick's face.

"Woah, woah" Rick called in surprise, grabbing the girl's hand before she did real damage. "It's just us"

Jada slowly lowered the weapon. "I heard the Director come inside. He went towards his office."

"We know. We were just getting the tools" Michonne explained, "you keep that one" she said, glancing at Jada's weapon, "keep yourself safe. We'll come get you when it's clear".

Jada nodded as Rick grabbed the ice pic she had stashed. "We'll be right back" Rick whispered before they both raced down the hall. When they approached the Director's office they could see movement through the frosted window on the door. Rick and Michonne stood on either side of the door, preparing themselves.

"Dammit!" They heard him cry out from behind the door, accompanied by a large crash. Rick, realizing the man was distracted, kicked open the door, and the two of them burst into the cramped room.

The Director was in the middle of loading a shot gun. He seemed to not be very skilled at it, as he had knocked the box of bullets on to the floor and they skidded all over the office.

"Put it down" Rick demanded, holding out the blood soaked club that he had snatched from one of the guards. Michonne circled to the other side of the director so she could keep watch over him.

"You're all murderers" he mumbled, "what are you gonna escape to? You're leaving here, where it's safe, to go where exactly? Live in an abandoned house? What will you eat? Who will protect you? I kept this place running to keep everyone safe..."

"Shut up, and put it down" Rick warned, "I won't say it again"

"You should thank me for..." his sentence was cut short as Michonne stabbed him in the thigh with her stolen knife. She pulled the bloody knife out and held it to his throat, her hand shaking in rage. The Director dropped his shot gun and moaned, gripping his stabbed leg.

"How do we get out of here?" Rick asked as he kicked the shotgun away from the director and then bent down to pick it up.

The Director didn't answer, enraging Michonne further, and she stabbed him in his arm, eliciting a loud scream from him.

"You can walk right out the gates" he cried, "Just go. Go ahead"

Rick took his club and pressed it against the Director's throat causing him to gasp and choke.

"There are walkers in the front, and traps around the fields. You're gonna tell us how to get out of here."

The Director groaned and stared at the couple. "I should've killed you two. I should've beat you to death. You destroyed everything I've built."

Rick grabbed the Director's wrists and wrapped them around his back to restrain him. "I hear you like watching people suffer" he said softly, twisting the man's arms painfully. "Let's see how much you like it when it's you". Rick dragged the man through the hallways and out into the parking lot and they walked into the aftermath of the battle. Bodies lay everywhere, both guards and workers. Jorje was comforting a woman who had been slashed by a knife, when Jorje spotted Rick with the Director.

"Good, you found that fucker! I was wondering where you went. We handled shit out here." He said, gesturing to the carnage.

"You sure did" Michonne said, impressed with the speed in which the guards were slaughtered.

Rick maneuvered the Director over to the tree where he had been whipped. "He doesn't want to tell us how to get out of here" Rick explained as he wrapped the Director's arms around the tree.

"Oh really?" Jorje laughed, "shit, this is gonna be fun"

"Where's the stick?" Michonne asked, searching the floor for the Director's weapon of choice. She found it underneath the battered body of a dead guard.

"Wait!" he yelled, "You won't be able to leave from the front entrance, but I can get you through the traps in the back."

"How?" Michonne asked, flexing the stick as she stared the Director down hatefully.

"Only I know where they all are, the whole area around the fields are booby trapped. I can get you out of here alive, but you have to keep me alive."

"We don't _have_ to keep you anything" Rick said, "you don't deserve a fucking thing. But pissing us off probably isn't a good idea. Especially pissing her off" Rick said, gesturing to Michonne. He moved in closer to the Director. "She really hates your guts, and she's been wanting to pay you back for the kindness you showed us."

"What… what do you want to know?" the Director asked. Other workers had begun to surround the trio, curious about what they were going to do to the Director.

"You're going to _show_ us exactly where every last one of those traps are tomorrow. But it's getting dark now, and we're not going anywhere tonight. So, that means we just have a lot of time to spend together" Rick said, his eyes boring into the Director's. The Director audibly gulped, his body shaking in fear. "I think all of us have some unfinished business with you". Rick reached for the Director's shirt and yanked it upwards so that his pudgy back was showing.

"Wait! Wait, if I'm injured I can't show you the traps!" the Director complained.

"I hope for your sake that's not true" Rick growled. He then backed away from the Director and looked at Michonne.

Michonne approached the Director, holding the stick the same way she held her katana. She shrugged and quipped "blood is paid with blood, right?"

Before he could answer, she swung the stick at his back, the stick creating a loud slap as it hit his skin. He jumped and sucked in a deep breath, but Michonne continued to swing at his back until she could see deep red marks and they had begun to bleed. Once she saw blood she paused and held out the stick to Jorje. He nodded to her and took the stick.

"Remember when you laughed when I got _my_ lashes?" Jorje asked, and he slammed the stick into the Director's back. He let out a sharp scream.

"Stop it! Stop ok? I got it, I get it! I… I'm sorry. I should have…", his sentence was cut off by another hit from Jorje, and he let out a yelp of pain.

"Remember how you were about to use this stick on a little girl?" Jorje asked.

"Please! Please!" the Director screamed, but Jorje continued beating him over and over again, laying in ten more lashes to his back before he passed the stick off to someone else.

Rick and Michonne watched as people lined up to get some lashes in on the Director. He screamed and yelled in pain and the blood dripped down his torn back. As the workers continued with their revenge, Michonne turned to Rick.

"I'm gonna go get Jada" she said.

"You think she should see this?" Rick asked skeptically.

"She deserves to make that decision" Michonne replied, "She's seen worse"

Rick nodded. "Ok, let's go".

They returned to the cell where Jada was still clutching her weapon. When she saw it was them, she let out a sigh of relief.

"Are they all dead? The guards?" she asked.

"Yes, they're all dead" Michonne confirmed. "Everyone except the Director".

"Where is he?" she asked.

"He's outside… the people are… punishing him" Michonne said gently.

"Good. He deserves it. He deserves everything they do to him."

"It's safe for you to come outside now. You don't have to stay in here" Rick told her. "You're safe now. And we're gonna take you back to our town, Alexandria."

Jada nodded. "I wanna see him punished. I want to see it."

Michonne looked at Rick, concerned, but Rick nodded. Like Michonne had said, the girl had seen worse. Jada led the way out to the parking lot with Rick and Michonne close behind. There was a large crowd surrounding the tree the Director had been tied to, and they could hear the slap from the stick against his skin. His loud screams echoed across the parking lot, so at least he was still alive.

Jada pushed her way through the crowd, her small body allowing her to squeeze through the larger adults. When she got to the inside of the circle she took in the sight of the Director nearly collapsed against the tree, his back a mess of blood and gashes, and him sobbing into his arm. The person who was currently lashing him, stopped when the little girl approached. Jada walked up to his face slowly and stared into it, causing the Director to lift his head up and open his eyes. He looked at the girl with fear.

Jada leaned over and whispered into his ear. "You murdered my mom, and you thought I was little and weak. You thought I couldn't do anything to you. Well my name is Jada, not _girl_ , and I'm _not_ weak."

Jada held out her hand for the stick, and the worker who had it quickly gave it to her. Without hesitation, she swung at his back so hard it created a loud _thwak_ that echoed through the parking lot. The Director let out a scream that ended abruptly as he fainted.


	7. Chapter 7

Michonne and Jada searched the supply room and the tool shed for supplies and food for the journey back to Alexandria. They found boxes and barrels of fresh, dried, and canned food. Enough to feed all the workers for at least a year.

 _At least we won't be hungry_ Michonne thought _._

They found more garden tools than they could ever want, as well as a few knives and other weapons that had been scavenged. The icing on the cake was when Michonne found her katana.

"Oh, I've missed you" she spoke to it, slipping the strap around her neck. The heavy weapon rubbed and irritated the still healing lash wounds on her back, but she didn't mind, glad that she finally got her weapon of choice back.

"That's yours?" Jada asked in wonder.

"Yep. I've had it for a long time" Michonne explained, "since the end."

"Wow" Jada exclaimed. "I've never seen anyone use a sword before. Do you think maybe you could teach me?" She asked

"Sure. One day. When we get home."

Jada nodded and looked down.

"You should pick your own weapon though" Michonne said, looking around at the garden tools. "You need to be able to defend yourself against walkers. You may not always have someone to protect you."

Jada looked around thoughtfully. She searched the shed, carefully picking up tools and putting them back down again if she wasn't satisfied. She stopped when she found a sickle.

"This looks cool" she said.

"It does" Michonne agreed. "But you see how short the handle is? You're gonna have to get close to kill. Because you're small, that may not be the best weapon. You need something that will help you kill from far away. Keep the walkers as far away from you as possible."

Jada nodded but looked disappointed.

"You can still keep that though. It's always good to have a back-up weapon. And it looks cool."

Jada smirked and tucked the handle of the sickle into the belt buckle of her badly fitting jeans. The weight of the weapon pulled her jeans downward because they were too big for her.

"Before we leave we have to find something you can wear, too. We can't have your jeans falling off." Michonne joked.

Jada giggled.

Jada eventually settled on a pitchfork as her weapon of choice. After scoping out the tool shed, Jada and Michonne headed to the Director's office to look for anything useful. The pair shuffled through the man's papers and files, rummaged through boxes of odds and ends the guards must've picked up while on runs, and records of how many pounds of fruits and vegetables had been harvested for the past two years. Michonne opened one of the drawers and found a map of the immediate area.

"This is the only helpful thing I've found" Michonne said to Jada, holding up the map. "What about you?"

Jada opened a file cabinet drawer and gasped. Michonne quickly came over to see what Jada had found and was horrified to see jars with human body parts inside. Fingers, ears, noses and a few whole hands were put in jars to preserve them. The Director had some kind of fetish.

"Close it" Michonne ordered Jada quietly, but Jada stared at one of the jars, transfixed. She lifted it slowly, bringing it to eye level. Inside was a single finger with red, sparkly nail polish on the nail. Jada dropped the jar and it shattered on the floor, the smelly embalming fluid spilling everywhere, and the impact sending the finger skidding across the floor. Jada let out a tortured scream and brought her hands to her face, sobbing.

Michonne quickly wrapped her arms around the small girl, letting her cry into her chest. The girl's sobs shook her whole body, and Michonne instantly felt pity for the child. Michonne gently led her out of the office as she cried, rubbing circles into the girl's back.

"It's ok" Michonne whispered, "It's ok Jada"

"He did it to her" she squeaked, burying her face into Michonne's chest. "That's her finger. He did that to my mom."

"I'm so sorry" Michonne said, hugging the hysterical girl more tightly. They walked back to the doors that led to the parking lot, Jada's tears slowing down during the walk.

"We're going to kill him, right?" Jada asked softly, wiping her eyes with the back of her hands.

"Yea. We will." Michonne confirmed.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Rick pulled the last of the dead guards into the second parking lot that Michonne had discovered. No one had bothered to stab them in the head. Some of the workers insisted that they let the guards turn as eternal punishment for their abuse. Rick was skeptical of that idea, thinking it would be safer to just end them, but some of the workers had been here for over a year and who knows what they suffered as a result of the guards. Who was he to judge what they felt was justice?

They put up the gate that Michonne had knocked down and secured it so that the reanimated guards couldn't get to them.

Jorje seemed to be the unofficial leader of the workers, so Rick told him that he and Michonne were leaving. Rick wasn't sure if the workers wanted to leave as well or if they were going to stay and make the farm an actual home, but Jorje made it clear that he wasn't staying there anymore.

"I don't know what's out there, but I'll be damned if I stay in this hell hole one more day" He declared, and many of the workers agreed.

"Michonne and I, we're from a town called Alexandria" Rick called out to them. "It has walls, it's safe. We know of other towns as well. If you want to leave you're welcome to come with us. We can find space for you in our community or one of the others."

There was a brief silence and a woman called out "I'm going. Anything is better than this." Jorje nodded as more and more people agreed to follow Rick back to Alexandria.

"The trip will be long, and dangerous" Rick explained. "We'll probably be walking for days, and it's not safe out there. Does anyone know this area? Does anyone know how to get back to the highway?" Everyone shook their heads.

"Does anyone know how to handle themselves outside with the walkers?" Rick asked.

A spattering of people raised their hands, but most of them shook their heads. There was a reason the majority of them didn't try to escape. They couldn't take care of themselves out there. Rick's heart dropped. He didn't want to take dozens of people outside the safety of the gates just to have them slaughtered by the undead. He, Michonne, and Jorje were better off going back to Alexandria alone. Maybe they could get home and bring back trucks to pick the rest of the people up.

As Rick looked out at the weary people around him, he realized something. These people had just destroyed the guards that had been keeping them enslaved. They had skills. If they could defend themselves against the guards, they could certainly defend themselves against walkers. They just didn't know it yet.

"You have just done something that took bravery, and determination. You killed the people who had been oppressing you. I know you may not think that you can do it, but all of us, if we work together, can get to Alexandria. We just have to be smart and be prepared. We're leaving tomorrow morning at sunrise. I want you all to gather as much food, water, and supplies as you'll need to travel for at least five days. We can use the burlap sacks from the fields to carry our things. Also, wash yourselves, and take advantage of the clothes truck, bring some extra clothing in case. Get some sleep. You're gonna need it."

The people nodded and dispersed to prepare themselves for the long journey ahead. Jorje stood next to Rick, both of them glancing over to the tree where the Director was still tied after fainting.

Jorje whispered, "You think that puta will really tell us how to get out of here?"

Rick studied the tied up man who's knees were dragging on the ground as his hands were tied above his head, in the exact position he had allowed Michonne to hang in for 30 minutes after he brutally beat her. The lashes on the Director's back were uncountable, as people had lined up to get their hits in. His back was open and raw, a mess of blood and tissue, and Rick figured if the man survived the wounds he'd probably die of infection.

 _If he did, he deserved it_.

"No, probably not" Rick responded, "but if he doesn't, I'll make sure he dies slowly and painfully as opposed to quickly."

"But how the hell we gonna get out of here without him?" Jorje asked.

"Don't worry" Rick smirked, "I have a plan B."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXxx

The people took the rest of the afternoon as a holiday. They raided the store room and tool shed, arming themselves with weapons and stuffing the burlap bags full of food. The people then grabbed the clothes the guard had brought back and returned to their cells to wash. Many of them began singing loudly as they washed themselves for the first time in weeks.

Rick and Michonne carried a large bucket of water towards the Director's office. Michonne refused to go anywhere near their cell, so they officially claimed the Director's office as their shower and took the extra effort to carry the heavy bucket.

As they walked, Michonne said "I found a map of the area. The highway we were on is 50 miles away. If we walk all day and take minimum breaks we can make it back to the highway in two days, and from there it's about a three day walk back to Alexandria, if we don't find any vehicles."

Rick nodded quietly. "We'll never find enough vehicles for all the people who are leaving with us. We'll either have to leave them and get the RV and trucks from Alexandria, or walk the whole way."

"Some of them won't make it" Michonne said slowly, her eyes turned to Rick's face.

"Yea. I know that" Rick replied, "all I can do is warn them. But the ones that are coming, I think they'd rather die out there than stay in here. And I can respect that."

Michonne nodded and they walked in a comfortable silence until they reached the Director's office.

"Finally, we can take these disgusting clothes off" Michonne sighed, putting her side of the bucket down on the floor.

"Oh yea" Rick agreed, dropping the bucket.

"Ugh, I'm covered with dirt and grime" Michonne lamented, looking down at her stained tank top. She quickly lifted it over head, wincing as the tight skin of her back pulled, before throwing her shirt in a corner.

Rick licked his lips as he watched her obliviously unbutton her jeans. "No" Rick growled softly.

Michonne looked up, startled at the tone of his voice.

"No, you're not covered with dirt, but you _will_ be covered with a Grimes" he said cheekily, practically ripping his own shirt off.

Michonne chuckled when she caught the meaning of his words. "Rick, we're filthy, stinky, and covered in blood."

"When aren't we?" he asked, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her closer. "Please Michonne" he begged, "I want you to feel good. You deserve it." he murmured, nibbling on her sweaty neck.

"Ugh, I feel gross" she started, causing Rick to slowly let go of her, "but we can wash after."

He grinned and kissed her passionately, pressing her against him. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and her hands found their way to her usual spot at the nape of his neck.

"Mmmm" she moaned, as Rick maneuvered his tongue into her mouth. The feeling of his lips moving against hers sent shivers down her spine, and for the first time in the past few days she forgot about the pain in her back. As they kissed, Michonne ran her hand down Rick's sides, lazily bringing them to his front and unbuckling his pants.

Rick responded by roughly grabbing Michonne's ass, causing her to jump, and he used her surprise to quickly pick her up off the ground. She laughed and wrapped her legs around his waist as he carried her over to the Director's desk.

"Why do I feel like we're horny teens sneaking and making out in the principal's office?" Michonne laughed, as Rick trailed kisses down her neck and between her breasts.

"'Cuz we're horny and making out in an office" Rick responded, promptly reaching around and unhooking Michonne's bra. She sucked in a breath as the bra material scratched one of her wounds.

"Sorry. You ok?" Rick asked. Michonne responded by using her legs to push down Rick's unbuckled jeans.

"I'm good baby" she whispered in his ear, and then she playfully grabbed his bulge in her hand. Rick buried his head into her neck, as she reached between them, rubbing and teasing Rick's penis as she felt it harden and grow in her hand.

"Michonne" Rick moaned, as she continued to tickle and play with him.

"Yesss?" she asked playfully as she reached her hand into his boxers and grasped his penis. She rubbed her thumb over the tip causing him to moan louder and bury his face deeper into her neck. She tugged on his boxers, pushing them further down his legs, and his penis sprang free.

"Michonne…" Rick moaned again, as she continued her work, sliding her hand up and down his penis.

"Yes baby?" she cooed as she could feel his member begin to twitch with need.

"Marry me" he whispered. Michonne paused for a moment, not sure if she heard him correctly.

"What?" she asked, confused.

Rick lifted his head from her neck and stared into her wide eyes.

"Marry me" he said again, and this time his words were unmistakable.

Michonne stared into his eyes for just a moment before saying "yes."

He smiled and grasped her face in his hands, pulling her lips to his as he ravaged her with increased vigor. His hands moved to her panties and all but ripped them off in his haste to be inside of her.

"My wife" he said possessively.

"Yes I'm yours Rick, I'm your wife. Always." Michonne confirmed, wrapping her arms around his waist in an attempt to pull him even closer.

Not being able to stand not being inside of her a second more, Rick positioned Michonne on the end of the desk and slowly entered her. They both gasped at the sensation, and she wrapped her arms and legs around him, so that her butt was the only part of her still on the desk.

"Mmmm, you feel so good baby" Rick said, as he thrusted into her tight entrance.

"You too" she whispered as she ground her hips into Rick's. Rick gradually picked up the pace, and Michonne let go of his neck to lean back on the desk on her elbows. Rick placed his hands on her hips, lifting her body closer to his so that he could get a deeper angle.

"Oh Rick" Michonne gasped as he thrusted deeper into her. Her body arched and her hips circled as she got closer to her release. She felt so good, but he tried to keep his eyes open so he could watch her perfect body, glistening with sweat, writhe on the desk underneath him. His hands found hers, and they intertwined fingers. He leaned forward and laid as much of his body on hers as he could as he continued to roll his hips.

Michonne opened her mouth in ecstasy before she exploded on his dick, her walls trembling and clenching his hard member. Her orgasm was enough to set Rick off, his eyes involuntarily squeezed close, and he released his seed inside of her, shaking and panting until he was done. When he opened his eyes, Michonne was looking up at him with a smirk on her face. She sat up on the desk and wrapped her legs around Rick, pulling him into a hug.

"I love you Rick Grimes" she whispered in his ear.

"I love you too Michonne Grimes" he responded, pressing a kiss to her shoulder.

"So… do we need to have a wedding?" she asked.

"We can have whatever you want" Rick answered, carefully rubbing his hand down her back.

"No. We don't need one" she said after a short pause. "You've been my husband for a long time. As long as we both agree, we're married."

"OK, we're married" Rick agreed. "I'm married to the most beautiful, smartest, bravest, courageous woman I've ever met. I'm a lucky man."

"Yes, you are" Michonne agreed with a chuckle. "Now, let's go get washed up, pack our bags, and get some sleep out under the stars. It's beautiful outside."

"Does this count as the honeymoon?" Rick asked.

"Uh… no. We're actually going to do something nice for our honeymoon. Not escape from a slave farm and dodge booby traps and walkers."

"Ok. Whatever you want babe." Rick said, pressing a kiss to her cheek before moving backwards so she could hop off the desk.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXxx

After washing each other of the dirt that coated their bodies after ten days in captivity, and changing out of their blood stained, ripped, soil marked clothing, Michonne and Rick were in a great mood. They headed to the storage room where Jada and other former workers were filling up on supplies and food for the trip back to Alexandria. Inside, they were approached by the three elderly people who served food during mealtimes in the parking lot.

"My name is Chaniece Bedford, this is my sister Ann and her husband Thomas. We wanted to thank you for getting rid of those evil men, and giving the Director what was coming to him. If I were younger I would've beat his pasty ass myself."

"Chaniece!" Ann said in horror, as Thomas, her husband rolled his eyes.

"What? You know it's true." Chaniece defended, "Don't act all hoity toity now."

Michonne couldn't hold in a giggle at the elderly woman's words.

"Uh… you're welcome Ms. Bedford" Rick said, unsure of how to respond.

"Aunty Chaneice, that's what the young folk call me. And that's not what I came over here to talk to you about anyway. We heard you're taking people back to your town, and it's a far journey and dangerous too. I wanted to ask if I could go with you."

Aunty Chaneice held up her hand before Rick could say anything.

"I know I've got lots of years. 72 years young I'd like to say. But I'm in fairly good shape. Not like my sister Ann here…"

"Oh shove it Chaniece, I've just got arthritis." Ann shot back, and Thomas put his hand on her arm to calm her down.

"Anyway, like I was saying, I want to go with you. I know it's a risk taking me, and I know I may not make it and I'm okay with that. But I can also be useful to you. I was a home health aid for 45 years and trained as a medical assistant. Ain't nobody here with the medical knowledge I have, you can ask around. And a journey like that, someone's gonna get some cuts and bruises at least."

Rick looked at Michonne who was amused and fascinated by the woman.

"Have you ever killed a walker?" Rick asked.

"The three of us lived a few miles away from here in an assisted living complex. When this shit storm started we just stayed inside. Ann's a hoarder, so she had enough food and toiletries to last us a month."

Ann gave her sister the finger.

"Anyway, after the dead started wandering around, we would watch 'em from the windows of our house and we observed how they go after noise, but we never got to see anyone stop one of them. All we saw was people getting eaten. Then our food ran out and we had to leave or starve to death. All we had was kitchen knives with us, and with Ann's arthritis we couldn't move much faster than the dead. So we would walk a mile or two and then set up camp for the rest of the day, and we learned by accident how to make a dead repellant camp. We didn't know how to kill the dead so we'd just restrain em', tie them to trees and such. Once they were restrained, Ann would try different things to kill em', cutting 'em open, taking out their heart and the such. She'd leave such a bloody mess."

"We found that when we tied up the dead, and their guts were all over the place, the others would walk past us if we were quiet enough." Ann chimed in.

"We never figured out they had to be stabbed in the head for them to die, but we learned how to camouflage and that's how we survived until we arrived here." Thomas said, speaking for the first time. "If I knew what that whip cracking son of a bitch was I would've stayed out there in the forest."

Rick nodded, impressed that the elderly family had survived as long as they had.

"So, I want to see this town you're talking about for myself. My sister and my brother in law are going to stay here. You and your lady friend… um… what's your names dears?" Aunty Chaniece asked.

"I'm Rick Grimes, and this is my wife Michonne" Rick answered, smiling at the thought of introducing her as that for the first time. Rick glanced over at Michonne's face and she was giving him a faraway look, as if she were lost in his eyes. She looked like a love sick puppy.

"Y'all must be newly weds" Ann said, chuckling. "Thomas doesn't ever look at me like that anymore"

"Hush woman. Maybe I would if you'd stop nagging and bickering with your sister" Thomas added.

"You see, that's another reason I want to go, I've been stuck with these two for years" Aunty Chaniece said, nodding towards the married couple. "They need alone time and so do I."

Rick outright laughed. "Ok… ok you can come. But it's going to be nonstop walking, and you'll have to fight. We will run into walkers."

"Don't worry about fighting. I grew up fighting. Got suspended from school many a time for fighting. I can handle myself. Thank you Mr. and Mrs. Grimes, for taking a chance with me."

"Just call me Rick" Rick said.

"And I'm Michonne" Michonne added.

"Make sure you have a full pack of food for at least 5 days, and water too. We're leaving at dawn."

Aunty Chaniece nodded and moved off with Ann and Thomas following close behind. As soon as she left, Jada who had been listening to the conversation from a few feet away, quickly ran over.

"You guys are married? You told me you weren't!" she all but yelled, with a betrayed look on her face. Rick and Michonne were both startled by the little girl's passion.

"We weren't when we told you that. We just decided to be married today. A few hours ago, actually" Rick explained.

The anger on Jada's face slowly drained away. "Oh… ok then" she said strangely.

"Are you ok?" Michonne asked.

The little girl looked from Michonne to Rick and then nodded, a smile slowly moving across her face. "Yes. I'm ok. I _will_ be at least. I'm happy for you guys." She reached out and hugged Michonne first, and then Rick. "My bag is packed with food and I'm ready to go. And look Michonne, I found some new pants and a shirt in the clothes pile." She said, turning around to show off her new pair of jeans. Although the shirt and pants were still too large for her, probably an adult small, they fit better than her previous pair. And the sickle that she had stuck in her belt didn't drag the jeans down.

"They look great" Michonne said. "But here, let me teach you a trick for the shirt."

Michonne quickly and skillfully tied up the back of the shirt so it fit more tightly around the little girl and didn't hang off of her like a dress.

"Thanks" Jada said happily, "my mom used to tie my clothes up like that too when we were on the road, and sometimes if we were bored and stuck inside at night she would paint my finger nails…" Jada stopped speaking as the vision of her mother's finger flashed through her head.

Michonne knew exactly what she was thinking and held the girl's shoulders. "It sounds like your mom loved you very much, and I'm sure she would be proud that you've survived this long, and that you're still surviving. And I bet she's watching over you right now, and happy that you're getting out of here."

Jada looked up at Michonne. "Yea, I bet she would be" she said with a small smile, "Are you guys sleeping outside tonight?"

"Definitely. We were going to look at the stars. Care to join us?" Rick asked.

"Cool. Yea. I'll be out there," Jada said excitedly.

"We'll meet you outside" Michonne replied.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

When Rick and Michonne made their way back outside, Jorje had informed them that the Director had woken up but refused to explain to them where the traps were. He said he would only show them in the morning, one trap at a time, to ensure he wasn't killed. He was left tied to the tree overnight, in exactly the same way he had tied up Michonne overnight, and several people volunteered to watch him while the others slept.

Rick, Michonne and Jada picked a spot in the middle of the parking lot to lay down and stargaze. Jada had found a blanket and spread it out, and the three of them laid back and enjoyed the cool breeze and the beautiful display above their heads.

"Wow there's so many" Jada said in awe. "When I lived in a house I never saw this many before"

"It was the lights" Michonne said, "the lights from houses and cars and buildings, it blocks out the stars so you couldn't see them. But now that there's no lights out here, we can see all the stars."

"What's that big white line in the sky?" Jada asked, "I've never seen that thing before"

"It's the end of our galaxy. The Milky Way galaxy. We're actually inside, looking out. And past that white line are all the other galaxies that exist."

"Wowwwwwww" Jada said in wonder. "Do you think people could ever go and see what's past our galaxy?"

"Well, it would take a really long time to get there. Longer than any one person could live. And we lost some of the scientists and technology that we had to make rocket ships. But I'm confident one day we'll be able to start a space program again. Now that we know it's possible, we just need young people like you to make it possible again." Rick said.

"You think maybe, I could be a scientist?" Jada asked, turning her head to look at the couple.

Michonne placed her hand on Jada's. "You can be anything you want to be. We need scientists to help us make things and grow food, and rebuild the world. We have a scientist in our community. His name is Eugene. I'm sure he would love to train you and teach you what he knows."

"Cooool" Jada said. "Maybe we can build a rocket. I made one once out of soda and a water bottle."

"I'm sure Eugene would love that" Michonne said.

Jada let out a yawn.

"I think it's time for you to go to sleep" Rick said, "We'll be walking all day. We need everyone alert."

Jada sat up so she could see Rick and Michonne better. "Will you guys stay out here with me? Are you sleeping here too?" she asked, obviously afraid they'd leave her out there once she fell asleep.

"We're not going anywhere" Michonne said, straightening out the blanket so the girl could lay back down. "Go to sleep".

Jada nodded and settled back down, tucking her hands behind her head. Within minutes she was breathing deeply, fast asleep.

"Cute kid" Rick said, as he wrapped one arm under Michonne and turned her so she was facing him. She snuggled up closer to him and rested her head on his chest.

"Yea she is, but I can't wait to see _our_ kids" Michonne said.

"I know they're fine" Rick said reassuringly, "I know they are. We'll see them in less than five days, and they'll be ok."

Michonne nodded against Rick's chest. "Let's get some rest" she said, and she closed her eyes. The three of them fell asleep on the blanket, listening to the chirp of crickets and the moans of the walkers trapped behind the gates in the other parking lot.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXx

 **Day 11**

The next morning, Rick and Michonne were awake before the sun rose. Jada was still sleeping on the blanket, so the two of them took the opportunity to wake up the Director who was leaning against the tree, his back wounds still continuously dripping blood.

"Wake up" Rick said harshly, and the man jumped. "I hope you're ready and rested enough to show us where every one of those traps are"

The Director looked from Rick to Michonne fearfully. "It's been a while since I've been out through those fields. I remember where most of the traps are, but…"

"Oh, you'd better remember where every single one is" Rick said, getting in his face. "'cuz if you don't, and someone gets killed, what happened to you yesterday will feel like tickling compared to what's next."

"You can't threaten me!" the Director said arrogantly. "You need me! If I don't say anything you're trapped here. As a matter of fact, I won't say anything until I'm untied and my wounds are treated."

Rick's face turned a shade of red that Michonne knew meant he was about to lose it. She quickly stepped in front of him. "You don't make any demands here" Michonne said, and Rick watched as Jorje who was sleeping nearby woke and came over. "You do what you're told."

"No!" the Director said stubbornly. "As a matter of fact, I'm not telling you anything. Find the way yourselves. I know you're just going to kill me anyway. What's the point?"

Jorje grabbed the Director's neck and squeezed, causing the man's eyes to pop open wide. "You're not gonna tell us anything? 'Cuz there's a line of people waiting to kill you if you're not helpful to us. This is your last chance to be helpful."

Jorje let go of the Director's neck and the man sucked in a few breaths. "I'm not talking!" the man said stubbornly.

Rick pulled Jorje and Michonne over to the side. "I had another plan, in case he didn't talk, and it seems that's what's gonna happen here. We can let the guards out into the fields and let them fall into the traps. Once they've set off the traps we'll know where it's safe to walk."

"You think that'll work?" Jorje asked.

"That's really our only other option" Rick said, "or else he owns us because of what he knows."

"It'll work" Michonne said confidently, nodding towards Rick.

"Ok" Jorje agreed. "We can do this without him. I'll try one more time, and if it doesn't work, I'm killing him."

Jorje walked over to the Director who looked up at him in fear and defiance. "Dude, this is your last chance. Show us where the traps are."

The Director shook his head like a petulant child, and Jorje reached down and snapped the Director's finger backwards, breaking it. The man screamed and cried, waking up everyone else who was sleeping outside.

"You not gonna tell us?" Jorje yelled.

"You filthy piece of…" his sentence was cut off by a kick from Jorje.

"You not gonna tell us?" Jorje screamed again.

The Director scowled but kept quiet. Jorje cut the Director's hands from the tree, and wrapped them behind his back. He began to march him over to the gate where the walker guards were circling. Rick, Michonne, and the other people in yard marched behind Jorje to see what would happen. Jorje pressed the Director up against the gate and the guards went crazy trying to bite and claw at him.

The Director screamed and tried to push himself away, and Rick was satisfied to see he had peed on himself. "You not gonna tell us?" Jorje whispered this time. "I hope you all die" the Director whimpered.

Rick unlocked the gate and Jorje quickly pushed the Director inside with the guards. The crowd looked on in silence as he was torn to pieces, still screaming for minutes as they ate him alive.

"Get your packs" Rick said to the crowd. "We're gonna carry out plan B."


	8. Chapter 8

"This is the plan. We're gonna let the guards out from the second parking lot and cut some holes in the fences leading to the outer fields. One team will throw bottles with lit rags into the fields that will cause little fires to attract the walkers. Once they head towards the fires we just watch, keep track of the paths they take. If they set off some traps, great, that's one less thing to worry about. If any of them make it away from here without setting off a trap, we follow its path. That's the way out" Rick explained.

The people nodded and quickly divided into teams. Rick was impressed at the way certain individuals stepped up to lead their group to accomplish their specific task. The group that Jada was a part of cut holes into the outlying fences in various places so the walker guards would enter the fields in different places and at different angles and set off as many traps as possible.

Aunty Chaniece's group prepared glass bottles with gasoline and rags that would explode on contact to attract the walkers.

Rick and Michonne were part of the group that made a pathway out of objects from the storage shed to corral the walkers towards the holes in the gates so they wouldn't wander off.

Within an hour, all the groups were prepared. As the sun peeked its way over the horizon, Jorje opened the gate and unleashed the walkers into the parking lot. Everyone ducked down so the walkers weren't distracted from their path. The glass bottle group threw the flaming bottles over the gates and into the fields, causing small fireballs to pop up. The walkers were immediately drawn in that direction, stumbling and staggering their way towards the light and movement of the flames.

Everyone held their breath and watched as the walkers squeezed their way through the fences and into the fields leading away from The Farm. When the walkers got 20 feet away from the gate, one walker suddenly disappeared into a hole that collapsed inwards as the walker stepped on it. It sounded like a weak and rotten piece of wood that had been covered with grass had snapped. When the hole opened up, the groans of other long forgotten walkers could be heard coming from under the ground.

"One down" Rick whispered to Michonne who was crouched next to him.

A few seconds later another walker set off a bear trap that gripped the walker's leg. The walker continued to drag the trap as it made its way over to one of the fires. Another walker set off a trap that was just an empty hole seven feet deep, that didn't have any walkers inside. It was probably created to simply trap someone so they'd break a leg and starve to death.

As the walkers moved further into the field they set off three more traps, but the walkers didn't go any further than where the bottles had been thrown. None of them had made it completely off the field, so noone had any idea how many other traps there were that hadn't been set off.

"Well, that's a start" Michonne said to Rick, "But it's still not safe for us to go out there."

"Yea" Rick said, rubbing his brow. Michonne could tell he was disappointed the plan didn't work the way he wanted it to.

"We have to risk it and go anyway. It's getting later in the day and we need to walk at least 25 miles today" he said.

Michonne nodded. She was ready.

Rick turned to the others, who realized that the walkers weren't going to go off into the woods and show them the safest path off The Farm. He could see the scared or distrustful looks that they were giving him. Some turned to murmur to each other.

"So, it didn't work out the way we expected. There may still be traps that haven't been set off" he explained to the wary people. "I know you're probably scared, and I don't blame you. I can't tell you what to do, whether to come with us or not, but Michonne and I, and Jorje are leaving now. If you choose to stay, once we get to Alexandria we can come back and pick you up. If you're coming, or not coming, you need to decide right now."

Rick, Michonne, and Jada stood together as the others discussed. Rick glanced over at Michonne. "You ready for this?" he asked her quietly.

"I told you before, I'm still with you. That will never change. We'll make it through that field." Michonne said confidently.

"You didn't say me" Jada said, her forehead furrowed. "I'm coming too."

"It's dangerous, maybe it'd be best for you to stay here. We'll come pick you up in a few…"

"I'm going and you can't stop me!" Jada interrupted angrily. "You said you'd take me with you if I wanted to come. You promised, and I helped you!"

"I just don't want you to get hurt" Rick tried to explain.

"You can't stop me. I'm going! If you try to leave me, I'll just follow you anyway." Jada turned to Michonne. "Michonne, tell him!"

Michonne couldn't hide her smile at the young girl's tenacity, but Rick was right about it being dangerous. "Jada, I don't want you to get hurt either."

"I won't! I've been taking care of myself all this time. Don't worry about me. You knew it was dangerous before but you told me I could go. Don't turn into a liar." Jada scolded, looking from Michonne to Rick.  
Rick stared at Michonne and Michonne rolled her eyes in surrender. "Fine. But be careful and make sure you're paying attention in those fields."

Jada nodded, proud that she won her argument.

"I'm gonna go first. You and Jada stay behind me. We'll walk in a straight line, we'll have the least chance of setting something off." Rick said.

"No, no, no" Aunty Chaniece said, coming out of nowhere. "That's not gonna work Rick. I'm going first. I'm the old lady here, I've lived my life nice and long, let me be of help."

"That's not gonna happen" Rick disagreed, "there's no way…"

"I'm going first, boy." Aunty Chaniece insisted, putting up her hand. "I said I'd be helpful, and this is one of the ways I can be. You got a new wife, and I heard you've got some kiddies back in your town. There's no way I'm gonna let you go before me. If you wanna fight me about it, we can. Right now."

"I'm not gonna fight you" Rick said.

"Good, 'cuz I don't feel like kicking your ass" Aunty Chaniece responded, "I'll be waiting by the gates."  
She turned around and walked off, leaving Rick, Michonne, and Jada staring after her.

"I think she might've beaten you" Jada said. She then quickly looked at Rick's face, shrugged her shoulders, and added "maybe".

Michonne smirked at the girl as Rick gave an annoyed face.

Five minutes later, 30 people had decided to come with them. Many had changed their minds when they saw the danger in the fields, and Rick was grateful they changed their minds then, before they left the gates and became a liability outside later. Aunty Chaniece had chosen a garden hoe as her weapon of choice, and she boldly made her way into the fields, Rick following closely behind her, with Michonne, Jada, then Jorje on his heels. The people who decided to stay at The Farm came outside to watch as the group of 30 risked their lives, walking through the booby trapped fields.

As Aunty Chaniece walked, she tapped the ground with the hoe, checking to see if it felt or sounded different, signaling a hole in the ground. They slowly made their way forward in single file until they reached the small fires that were still burning, with the remaining walker guards wandering around them. Rick and Michonne signaled to everyone to stay put before they dispatched the guards, making sure to step only where the walkers had been walking. Once the remaining walkers were killed, Rick and Michonne returned to the single file line.

"Aunty Chaniece, let me go ahead of you" Rick said, attempting to move in front of her in line.

"Rick, if I have to tell you one more time to get back there…" she threatened, staring him down.

Rick nodded. "Go slow and use the stick" he coached her, as she moved forward. The field was silent as the large group followed behind Aunty Chaniece, everyone nervously watching their step. They walked a few feet without setting off any traps. Suddenly, Aunty Chaniece stopped in her tracks, and Rick bumped her from behind.

"Look" she said to him, staring down at the handle of the garden hoe, which was sinking slowly into the dirt. "There's a hole down here".

"Good catch" Rick said, impressed with the old woman's meticulousness. "We just have to find out how wide this hole is before we move".

Aunty Chaniece used the handle of the garden hoe to poke around in the dirt, and Rick kneeled down, using the handle of his axe to try to figure out how wide the hole was so they could walk around it. Rick and Aunty Chaniece carefully poked holes in the dirt until they determined the approximate size of the trap that was in front of them. Carefully, Aunty Chaniece led the long single file line around where they believed the trap was. Rick stared down as he walked, looking for any hints of something being amiss.

Suddenly, a loud crack made everyone freeze. Rick tried to call out a warning, but before he could get a sound out, Aunty Chaniece began to fall into a hole in the earth that opened up quickly. The loose soil around the trap they knew was there began to cave in, and Rick instinctively grabbed Aunty Chaniece's hand while falling backwards himself. Her hand clutched his as she slid downward into the hole, but he didn't have sure footing himself and he began to slide in after her.

Michonne quickly grabbed Rick's other hand and yelled for assistance as she began to get pulled into the hole as well. Jorje grabbed Rick's shoulders and two other people grabbed Aunty Chaniece's other hand and pulled the two of them out of the crumbling hole in the dirt.

Everyone was in a bit of shock as Aunty Chaniece and Rick caught their breath.

"Are you ok?" Michonne asked Rick, breathing heavily in her panic.

"Yea, yea I'm ok" Rick said, still in shock himself at how close he'd been to falling into the deep hole. Ignoring his pounding heart, he turned to Aunty Chaniece who was worryingly quiet.

"Aunty Chaniece?" Rick asked, looking the woman over for injuries.

"Yes, yes, I'm fine Rick" she said, brushing off her clothes. She patted her hips, knees, and then her back. "Didn't break anything. I'm still alive for now."

Michonne reached over and pulled the woman to her feet. "We have to be careful around potential traps, the soil is weak, they can crumble in on us."

"We're almost to the tree line" Rick said. "I mean, we can't let our guard down, but I think we might be a little safer, at least from holes in the ground."

Rick turned to Jorje. "Jorje, do you think the Director had any traps in the trees? Trip wires or anything like that?"

"I don't know man. I've never seen anyone get this far before. Who knows what that fucker set up. I think we should play it safe until we get further away."

Rick nodded, and they continued to follow Aunty Chaniece towards the trees, not tripping any more traps. When the last of the group of thirty made it into the tree lines, a cheer rose up from the others who were watching the harrowing excursion from the parking lot in The Farm. The triumphant group turned around and waved to the people who chose to stay behind, not knowing if they'd ever see their friends and in Aunty Chaniece's case, their family again.

"Ok, we have to make 25 miles today and we're behind schedule" Rick called loudly, drawing everyone's attention back towards him, "and we're not out of danger yet. There still may be traps here. We're going to stay in single file. If there's a problem or you spot something you whistle and everyone freezes. We don't want to set off any more traps. I don't think we're home free until we get to a road. Keep your weapons in your hands and ready. There may be more walkers out here."

The people nodded and clutched their farm tools as they followed Aunty Chaniece's careful steps. Rick was impressed that the older woman moved cautiously yet kept up a quick pace, and within 20 minutes they had stumbled upon a road. Michonne swiftly took out her map to assess which road they'd stumbled upon, and the people took a quick break.

Jorje wiped his brow and sighed when they finally reached the pavement. "I can't believe we made it out of there alive" he said, relief written all over his face. "This is the first time I've been free and outside in a year. It's beautiful out here."

"It is" Rick agreed, "but we still have a way to go."

"Ok, I think I know where we are" Michonne said, drawing Rick over to her. "If I'm right, this road leads to another side road which eventually leads back to the highway. It's sort of curvy and it goes through two other towns. If you want, we can walk in a straight line and we may get to the highway faster, but it leads through forest and unpaved areas."

Rick studied the map and bit his lip. "No. We shouldn't risk it. We don't know what's in those wooded areas, these people aren't exactly walker trained. If it were just us I would, but if we run into a herd in the woods… it won't be good."

Michonne nodded in agreement. "So, we stick to the highway. If we come across some cars around sundown, at least it's shelter for the night."

Rick nodded and gave Michonne's shoulder a quick squeeze, just wanting to touch his new wife. He wanted to hurry up and get home so they could see their children and then start their honeymoon, but first things first.

They took a few minutes to arrange a walking order, the most vulnerable or weakest members of the group stayed in the middle while the most walker trained individuals stayed on the outside. Michonne made sure Jada was safely in the middle of the group with Aunty Chaniece before they started on their journey, Rick and Michonne leading the way.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The small band of travelers made 20 miles by sundown. It was five miles short of their target, but they had unexpected delays due to The Director's refusal to cooperate, and Rick was proud of their progress. The group found a clear area of the highway and decided to take up camp there. Amazingly, they had only come across three walkers, and they were far enough away that they were easily left behind before they became a threat.

Jorje arranged a watch schedule, with three people on watch at all times as everyone else relaxed or slept. Another group found a stream that followed the highway and collected water for the everyone, while Aunty Chaniece made a fire to boil the water to make it drinkable.

Rick and Michonne checked the perimeter of their makeshift camp, making sure there were no unseen dangers that may surprise them in the middle of the night. They gave the camp a wide berth, looking for houses where living people may be hiding, or areas that contained walkers. When they found nothing of concern, they continued to walk hand in hand, using the opportunity to get away from the others.

"Just a few more days, and we'll be back" Rick said confidently, "maybe less. I'm pretty sure Daryl was out there looking for us, at least for a few days. Maybe he still is. If he finds us, we could be home tomorrow."

Michonne glanced over at Rick and studied his face. He seemed hopeful that what he was saying was true. She knew that he worried about losing some of the people that were with them. Every day they stayed out here they were sitting targets for walkers and people, and Rick didn't want to be responsible for their deaths.

"Yea" she agreed, trying to reassure him. "It's possible. But until then we have to be prepared to walk all the way back. We'll try our best but... things may not work out the way we want. If something happens, it's not your fault Rick. We're trying to help these people, and you know we may lose some."

Rick quickly looked down. Michonne had hit the nail on the head on how he was feeling, as usual. He nodded and responded softly, "I know".

"Hey", Michonne started, bringing her hand up to his face and cupping his cheek, when an unexpected pain shot through her abdomen causing her to suck in a breath and clutch her stomach. As quickly as the pain started, it faded away, and within seconds she was fine, but Rick caught every second of her change in demeanor.

"Michonne? What is it?" Rick asked.

"I... I don't know" Michonne replied, "just... all of a sudden I felt this sharp pain. It's gone now." She looked up and saw the sheer panic in Rick's eyes, and she needed to calm him. "I'm okay Rick. Maybe I'm... dehydrated, or I didn't eat enough today. Or, it's probably just my period."

Rick stared at her in disbelief. "Do you usually get pains like that during your period?" he asked.

"No, but it's gone now. I'm fine." she said, continuing to walk. Rick didn't respond but he followed behind her as she made her way back to the camp. When they came back, water had been boiled and Aunty Chaniece was pouring the water into mugs that each of the travelers had brought.

"C'mon Rick, Michonne, come get your water now. Y'all need to drink to make up for all that water you lost today."

The two of them followed Aunty Chaniece's orders and got a mug full of water, slowly sipping the warm water down as they sat by the fire. Jada joined them, munching on a plum that she'd stored as part of her rations. The three of them sat in silence, but Michonne could see Rick glancing at her out the corner of his eye, trying to assess if she was really okay. To improve the uncomfortable mood, Michonne tried to get Jada to talk as a distraction.

"How are you doing Jada? How was your first day out here?"

"It was ok" Jada said, biting into her plum. "It was a lot of walking but it's not too much for me. Do we have a lot longer?"

"Just a few more days" Michonne said reassuringly.

"Can I ask you guys something?" Jada asked, looking from Michonne to Rick.

"Sure" Rick said, focusing on the girl and temporarily taking his eyes off Michonne.

"Can I live with you? When we go back to your town?" Jada asked nervously, "I... I don't take up a lot of space, and I know how to take care of myself. And I know how to clean obviously. I can help you..."

"Of course" Michonne said, cutting off the girl's sentence. "Of course you can."

"We'd be happy to have you" Rick added.

The nervousness on Jada's face quickly faded away and she let out a relieved breath.

"When you come to live with us though, there's one condition" Michonne said, her voice becoming serious.  
Jada tensed up again. "What?" she asked cautiously.

"You have to be our daughter" Michonne replied with a smile.

Jada giggled and threw her arms around Michonne's neck in relief, but when she pulled away she had a worried look again. "But what about your other kids? What if they don't like me?"

"Carl and Judith will love you" Rick said, gently squeezing the girl's hand. "Especially Judith, I'm sure she'll love having a big sister."

Jada reached over and threw her arms around Rick's neck, hugging him as well.

"Thank you", the young girl whispered.

"No, thank you" Rick answered. He glanced over at Michonne and noticed she was clutching her stomach again.

"Michonne?" Rick asked, suddenly alarmed.

"I'm ok, it's... it's just cramps" she said unconvincingly. She pulled herself to her feet. "I'm just gonna go relieve myself."

"I'm going" Rick said, getting to his feet. There was no way he was going to let her go into the woods by herself at night if she wasn't feeling well.

As much as Michonne didn't want to be babied, she knew by the look on his face that Rick wouldn't let her go alone. She nodded, and he followed her off into the bushes as a look out as she handled her business.  
Michonne didn't go too far. She could still make out the orange glow of the fires as she crouched down to relieve herself. As she crouched there, another sharp pain stabbed through her abdomen.

 _What is that?_ she thought. It didn't feel like her normal menstrual cramps, it was a sharp stab of pain and then it would slowly disappear. Her mind raced with all the possible causes of her pain, but none of them seemed very plausible. She gathered some leaves to clean herself off when the orange glow from the fire illuminated the leaf that she'd just used and it glinted red from blood.


	9. Chapter 9

**Trigger Warning: Talk of miscarriage**

Michonne was startled. _I'm bleeding? Why am I bleeding? This is not normal. Something is wrong._

She quickly pulled up her clothes and called Rick over, her hands trembling.

"Rick... I... I think something is wrong with me" Michonne stuttered. "I'm cramping, and I'm bleeding, and I don't think it's my period."

Rick's face fell. "What do you think it is? Did you eat something bad?"

"I don't know. I want to talk to Aunty Chaniece", Michonne said.

Rick nodded and followed Michonne over to the older woman who was eating a potato she'd brought from The Farm.

The both of them sat down next to the woman and she immediately picked up on the concern in their faces.

"What is it honey?" Aunty Chaniece asked, turning to Michonne.

"I'm not feeling well. I have cramps that feel like shooting pains in my stomach, and... and I'm bleeding", Michonne explained.

"It's not your period?" Aunty Chaniece asked carefully.

"It doesn't feel like it. It doesn't feel normal."

"When was your last period honey?" Aunty Chaniece asked.

Michonne's mind raced. She knew that she was expecting her period from before she went on the run. Actually, she was hoping to find more feminine hygiene products on the run because the pantry was running dangerously low. She was a few days late when she left with Rick, but it wasn't a big deal. Then they got captured and she realized that she still didn't have her period. Either this was her period, coming two weeks later than expected, or she was pregnant and something was wrong.

Her hand moved to her mouth as realization seeped in, and her eyes widened in shock. Rick crouched in front of her. "What is it? What is it Michonne?" he asked.

"Oh my God I'm late. I'm two weeks late or maybe more. I'm late. I'm late Rick," Michonne spewed out, her eyes instantly filling up with tears."Oh God" she whispered.

Rick's eyes widened and mirrored hers. "You're pregnant? How... I mean..." his hand moved to rub his forehead. He turned to Aunty Chaniece. "What is happening to her? If she's pregnant, what's happening?"

Aunty Chaniece looked from Rick to Michonne. "If she is pregnant, it could be a few different things".

"What things?" Rick asked, reaching out his hand to hold Michonne's. He was afraid to look at Michonne directly, because he knew what Aunty Chaniece was going to say.

"I'm sorry, but it most likely is a miscarriage honey" Aunty Chaniece said gently.

Michonne let out a sob and buried her face in her hand. Rick seemed to be in a trance for a few seconds, lost in his own world. He stared blankly at Aunty Chaniece for a few seconds until Michonne let out a second sob and he realized that his wife was crying. He turned and wrapped his arms around her, pushing her head into his chest.

He didn't know what to say to comfort her, he didn't know if he even could. To think after all they'd been through in the past few days, all that they'd been subjected to, she was carrying another life that they didn't even know was there. Her tears elicited his own and the two of them clung together for a few minutes unable to speak. He simply rocked her as sobs shook her body. After a while, Michonne pulled away from Rick and wiped her eyes. Taking a few breaths to compose herself, she turned to Aunty Chaniece.

"You said that it could be a few different things. Miscarriage is one thing. What else could it be?" she asked, her tears making her voice gravelly.

Aunty Chaniece looked at the couple apologetically. "I can only think of two other things if you're pregnant. It could be a threatened miscarriage, which means its just bleeding and cramping, but the fetus is fine. Or... well, the last thing is a worst case scenario."

Rick went pale at Aunty Chaniece's words. "Just... just tell us" he said, gripping Michonne's hand again.

"It could be an ectopic pregnancy. She may need surgery. I don't know what kind of doctors you've got in your town Rick, but it could be very serious."

"And if I'm not pregnant? What other reasons could I be bleeding?" Michonne asked.

"Honey that beating you took was extreme, it could be you got hurt worse than you thought, maybe it injured an internal organ. Or it could be something else... All I can do is speculate right now. But I think we should stick to the most likely reason, seeing as though you were late."

Michonne's eyes rolled downward to the floor and welled up with tears once again. Rick could see the hope fading from her eyes.

"What can we do?" Rick asked, "how can we stop it? If it's a miscarriage?"

"I'm sorry dears, but you can't. Not if the fetus is gone already. It's just gonna happen if it's meant to happen."

"If the fetus is still alive, what can we do to stop the cramping?" Rick asked, his eyes begging Aunty Chaniece to give him something to work with. She seemed to understand that he needed to cling to something, some hope, for Michonne's sake.

Aunty Chaniece stood up and moved closer to Michonne, but still didn't answer. "Let me check you out honey, see what's going on with ya."

Michonne lay flat on the ground and pulled up her shirt so Aunty Chaniece could see her abdomen. Rick turned around and glanced at some of the others who were sitting nearby, and they immediately got up and moved further away, giving the couple their privacy. The woman put her hands on Michonne's belly and added pressure in various places.

"Does that hurt?"

"No, not really" Michonne replied.

"I don't see any bruising on your abdomen, which is good. I don't see any signs of internal bleeding or injury. Can you sit up?"

Michonne sat up and Aunty Chaniece moved so she could look at the scars on Michonne's back.  
"These are pretty bad honey, but they're healing. I don't think those scars have anything to do with the cramping and the bleeding."

"How can we save the baby?" Michonne asked.

"Well, you definitely shouldn't be walking. That will only increase the contractions if that's what those pains are. Your legs should be elevated, you need to drink lots of water and stay hydrated, and you shouldn't be out here to be quite honest."

Michonne sighed and looked up at the stars. This was a nightmare. She slowly started to accept the fact that she was going to lose the baby she just found out she was carrying.

Rick could see the defeat in Michonne's eyes and the acceptance, but he couldn't accept this. This baby was a miracle and he'd do what he had to do to protect it and his wife.

"I'm gonna take you back" Rick said. "You shouldn't be out here. I'm gonna take you back and you can stay there until I get a car to pick you up."

When Michonne realized Rick was talking about taking her back to The Farm her eyes popped open.

"No. I'm not going back there. Taking me a day back in the opposite direction makes no sense. I'm staying with you and we're going to keep going."

"Michonne, you..."

"Rick" Michonne interupted, "I am not going back there. I need a doctor. I need the Hilltop. Taking me back to The Farm is delaying me getting to one. If this is a real miscarriage there is nothing we can do about that, but I need to be with you. I can't... I can't go through this without you."

Rick's fingers curled around Michonne's and he looked deeply into her sad, tearstained eyes. He realized she was right. He couldn't leave her to go through this alone, but he wasn't going to have her walk another 25 miles to the highway either.

"Ok, I'll carry you" Rick said softly.

"What? You're not carrying me 25 miles or more" Michonne said.

"You shouldn't be walking, and I can't take you back. I'm going to carry you."

"Rick, don't be..." but a sharp pain interrupted Michonne's sentence. She let out a deep breath and within a few seconds it was over.

"Is it gone?" he asked.

"Yea" she said, "but you can't carry me that far"

"Watch me" he said stubbornly.

Their disagreement was interrupted by Jorje who approached the couple and Aunty Chaniece cautiously.  
"Hey, didn't mean to interrupt but I wanted to let you know the perimeter is secure and most people are bedding down for the night. I'm taking first watch so I'll be over there if you need me... everything okay over here?" he asked, taking in the tears on Michonne's face and Rick's fierce expression.

Rick considered not telling Jorje about Michonne's condition, but in this situation any secrets could harm the others, and he'd find out anyway when Rick began to carry her.

"My wife, she might be having a miscarriage. We... we don't know yet, but I can't have her walking, and I can't take her back to The Farm. I'm gonna have to carry her."

"Rick..." Michonne began again.

"Ok, I'll help. We'll take turns." Jorje said, nodding.

"What?" Rick asked, not even considering that as an option.

"We'll take turns carrying her. You carry her for a while, and then I will, to let you rest. If we can make a litter for her that would be even easier."

"You don't have to..." Michonne began.

"It's ok, I want to" Jorje said with a nod. "We all owe you, for giving us the hope of a better life. You two deserve this baby, and if me carrying you helps at all I'll do it."

Rick silently stared at Jorje for a few seconds in disbelief. "Thank you" Rick said softly, reaching out his hand to shake Jorje's. "Thank you" he repeated again.

"No problem Rick", he responded. He then nodded to Michonne who managed a smile back at him, and he walked off to start his watch.

Aunty Chaniece squeezed Michonne's shoulder. "You need your rest, if you're relaxed that may help stop the cramping. I know you're worried, but you need to take care of yourself".

Michonne nodded at her but she was lost in her thoughts, still not comprehending how her life had taken this sudden curve ball. Aunty Chaniece handed Michonne a handkerchief from one of her bags.

"Here honey, use this for the bleeding, and then lay down right here by the fire. Rick, go bring her belongings and her blanket over here."

Rick nodded at the woman who began buzzing around Michonne to get her comfortable. Rick bent down and gave Michonne a kiss on the forehead before he went off to get her belongings.

Jada was speaking to a young girl in her late teens, but jogged over when she saw Rick gathering the bags.  
"People are saying Michonne's sick?" Jada asked.

Rick sighed. "Yea. We're not sure what it is yet, but... she might be pregnant."

Jada's eyes lit up. "But that's good right?" she asked.

"It is, but the baby may be in trouble" Rick sighed, "we need to get her to a doctor."

"And a doctor will make her and the baby better?" Jada asked.

"I don't know Jada," Rick said, defeated. "But I'm gonna do everything I can to get her to one."

"Were you gonna bring those to her?" Jada asked, pointing to the bag and blankets that Rick had picked up.

"Yea" Rick said softly, his grief showing as he wiped away a tear from his eye. He was on the verge of breaking down.

"I can bring it to her" Jada offered, seeing Rick's obvious distress. "I'll stay with her for a little while, until you're ready."

Rick was amazed at how intuitive the little child was. He knew he was emotionally unsteady at the moment, and he needed to be strong for Michonne who undoubtably was heartbroken. He didn't want to break down in front of her and add more stress.

He placed a hand on the girl's cheek. "Okay. Thank you, again. I'll be right there."

Jada nodded and took the bag and blankets from Rick and then made her way over to where Michonne was laying. Auntie Chaniece had propped a few sacks up behind Michonne as a pillow, and made her another mug of warm water. Michonne was sitting on the ground next to the fire, leaning against the sacks with the mug in her hand, but she wasn't drinking. She was staring absentmindedly into the darkness.

Jada put the bags down next to Michonne and spread the blanket over Michonne's legs, finally snapping her out of her trance.

"Hey" Jada said, plopping down next to Michonne.

Michonne cleared her throat. "Hey... hey Jada" she responded.

"I heard you don't feel good" Jada said.

"No, I don't", Michonne said in a barely audible whisper.

The two of them sat in silence for a few moments until Jada scooched over closer to Michonne and put her head on Michonne's shoulder. Michonne's head snapped towards the girl in surprise and her body tensed up, but a few seconds later she relaxed and wrapped an arm around Jada.

"It's going to be ok Michonne" Jada said confidently.

"Yea, I hope so" Michonne answered.

"No, I know it. It will be ok" Jada said again, more forcefully. Michonne looked back down at the girl and wondered how she could be so confident.

"Can I tell you something?" Jada asked Michonne.

"Yea, sure"

"Ok, but you have to promise to believe me. And not laugh", Jada warned.

Michonne was intrigued. "Okay, I promise."

"My mom, she could see things sometimes. Things in the future. Sometimes she would have dreams or visions. She had a brain tumor, and my grandma said it was the tumor that would make her see things that weren't real, but I believed her. Everything that she had a vision about would come true. My mom was getting chemo and radiation for the tumor, but when dead people started coming back, she couldn't get her treatments anymore. We ended up on the road and she started getting really sick. She would get dizzy and have bad headaches and nosebleeds. Sometimes she would be so sick I had to go out to find food and water for us", Jada confided.

Michonne glanced down at the small girl that was divulging a story that was obviously difficult for her to tell.

"My mom knew she was sick. I think she knew she was going to die. She wouldn't let us stay in one place for too long. She said we had to find people, a place where we could live. She was so happy when we found The Farm. I was happy too. The Director was a little nicer back then, when we got there. He said we were working to make things better for ourselves, and the more we planted, the more food we'd have to eat. He was nice until my mom got too sick to work. She would just lay there, she was too dizzy to get up. I told him she couldn't work anymore and I couldn't either because I had to take care of her, and he got so angry he locked us in a cell for days. One night she woke up and she said she had a vision." Jada turned to Michonne and looked her directly in the eye. The intensity in the girl's stare captured Michonne's full attention.  
"She said that the Director was evil, but I wouldn't stay at The Farm forever. She said I would live with a family, with a married couple, and there'd be four kids, and I'd be happy. She said she could see them, and they would love me as much as she loved me," Jada recited, as tears ran down her face. "After she told me about her dream she didn't talk anymore. I don't think she could. She wouldn't eat, she just drank if I put water near her mouth."

Jada sighed and wiped away her tears with the back of her hand. Michonne reached out and held one of the girl's little hands, forgetting about her own pain for a moment. Nowadays, everyone had gone through so much, but the pain experienced by the children of this world was unimaginable.

"I was scared she would die and turn into a monster. I banged on the door for the guards to let me out. And when they did, The Director came and just stabbed her in the head. He just killed her! And walked away like it was nothing."

Michonne reached out and pulled the girl closer to her. Jada wrapped her arms around Michonne's neck and cried as Michonne rubbed her back. After a while Jada let go and pulled away from the embrace.

"Your baby is gonna be okay Michonne" Jada said seriously.

"We don't know..." Michonne started.

"Don't you get it?" Jada yelled, raising her voice and taking Michonne aback. "My mom's visions _always_ came true, and she said I would live with a married couple. You weren't married when you came to The Farm, how could she know you would decide to get married? And she said there would be _four_ kids. Four! Rick said there was Carl and Judith, and me, that makes three. And your baby makes four."

A chill went through Michonne's body and her mouth dropped open. Could this girl's mother have predicted all of that?

Another cramp stabbed Michonne in her stomach and she took a deep breath and slowly let it out. She wanted to believe Jada, but this pregnancy seemed to be doomed.

"I didn't tell you at first because I thought you would think I was weird, but as soon as I heard you had kids I knew you were who my mom was telling me about. No one at The Farm ever had kids. Do you believe me?" Jada asked.

"I...", Michonne sighed, "I want to."

"Then believe it. It's true, I know it. So don't be sad, ok mom?" Jada asked.

Michonne smiled at Jada as a tear snuck down her cheek. This little girl who had been through so much felt comfortable enough with her to call her mom. And Michonne was surprised at how comfortable she felt about that word. Mom. She suddenly came to the realization that even if she lost this baby, there was still hope. She had children at home, she had a husband who loved her, and she had a new daughter now. She wanted this baby, more than she had ever imagined, but this was out of her hands. If she had a miscarriage, she could live on. She would have to live on for her other children.

Michonne reached out and put her hand on the top of Jada's head, smoothing down her wild, bushy hair. "I won't be sad. I'm not. Not anymore. And I believe you."

"Good" Jada said with a nod as she stood. She promptly reached into her bag and took out her blanket, spreading it on the ground a few feet from Michonne, preparing to go to sleep. Before Jada laid down Michonne called her back over and kissed her on the forehead.

"Goodnight Jada" she said.

"Goodnight mom" Jada replied. She then turned and returned to her spot on the ground, tucking herself underneath her blanket.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Rick returned to Michonne's side a few minutes later. His eyes were red around the edges and his skin was slightly pale. He sat down next to Michonne and clutched her hand.

"How are you feeling baby?" he asked softly, trying to keep their conversation quiet seeing as though Jada was a few feet away as were many of their companions.

"Physically? or emotionally?" Michonne asked with a half-hearted chuckle.

"Both" Rick responded, circling his thumb around the back of her hand.

"I'm still cramping" she said, "it's only bad when its actually happening. When the cramping stops I'm ok. And emotionally..."

Michonne paused and sighed. "We're pregnant Rick! We have a baby that's half you and half me, and I'm so happy. I feel so much joy now that I know about it, but I wish it wasn't under these circumstances, and I wish this wasn't happening now. But a few minutes ago Jada told me something... it gave me hope about this baby. Like maybe this will end well. And I want to believe it."

Rick didn't seem to hear what Michonne was saying, his eyes looked glazed over for a second as if he were far away.

"Rick?" Michonne asked. Her voice shook him from his dark thoughts.

"Did you know?" Rick asked, throwing Michonne completely off guard.

"Know what?" she asked.

He took a moment to swallow and he moved slightly closer to her. "Did you know you were pregnant?" he asked, "were you hiding it from me?"

Michonne's eyes widened in shock and then narrowed and darkened in anger. "What? How can you even ask me that? Why would you... Are you being serious right now?"

The pure rage on Michonne's face told Rick everything he needed to know. He immediately was sorry for his accusation. "I'm sorry" he said, his shoulders slumping. "I'm sorry Michonne that I even asked. I'm being a jerk."

"Yea you are" Michonne said, snatching her hand out of Rick's.

"I know, I'm totally out of line. This... this has happened to me before, well something almost like this. With Lori... I'm sorry... this, this isn't about me. Can I do anything for you?"

Michonne's anger quickly diminished when she heard Rick's words. "This has happened to you before?" she asked.

"I don't want to talk about me. I was stupid to even ask you that. I'm sorry. This is happening in your body, and my focus is on you, and the baby."

"Rick... this isn't all about me. This is your baby too. It's half of you too. Your feelings matter. I want you to share them with me."

Rick sighed and his shoulders slumped as if he'd been holding on to a heavy weight and finally put it down.  
"When Lori was pregnant with Judith, she knew, and she hid it from me. Glenn, and Maggie, and Dale knew before I did. She had Glenn go to the drug store and get morning after pills to kill it. I only found out when I found the package in our tent" Rick admitted.

Michonne stared on, enraptured in this part of Rick's history that she didn't know. "She took the pills. She tried to kill our baby. But... she threw them up. I thought that meant that she really wanted the baby. That deep inside she thought it could work. And then she told me... she admitted that she had sex with Shane, my best friend. And that was when I knew that the baby, Judith, wasn't mine. She was Shane's. I had only had sex with Lori twice since I'd found her, and the timing didn't match up. She had been with Shane for weeks."

Michonne's eyes widened at Rick's confession about Judith. She never would've guessed the girl wasn't his by the way that he cared for her.

"I know you're not Lori. I know it. I'm so sorry for questioning you. For accusing you. Especially now. I'm sorry for even bringing her up."

"Don't be" Michonne said, intertwining her fingers with Rick's again. "You can bring anything up with me. You don't have to hide anything, or avoid talking about certain things with me. I want us to share everything Rick, I want to always know what you're thinking. Even if you are being a jerk."

Rick leaned over and pressed his lips against Michonne's cheek. He then reached down and tentatively placed his hand on her belly. "We never talked about having children together. If this wasn't already happening, would you have wanted this?"

"Yes" Michonne answered, not hesitating. "Yes, I want to have a baby with you. I'm sorry it's under these circumstances, but I'm not sorry about the pregnancy. I've been through this before. I've had a miscarriage before. Before I got pregnant with Andre. It broke my heart..." Michonne said, her voice cracking.

"Oh baby, I'm so sorry" Rick said, kissing her palm and then her wrist.

"Even though it broke my heart, I lived on. I had Andre. I survived. And now I know that there's always hope Rick. We'll be ok, no matter what happens. But I think that this baby will be ok too. Jada, she convinced me that it will be alright, and I believe her."

"She did?" Rick asked, intrigued about what the girl could have said.

"Yea" Michonne said, letting out a yawn. "She told me something that gave me hope."

Rick didn't want to intrude on the conversation between Jada and Michonne, so he just nodded. He laid down next to Michonne and wrapped his arms around her, massaging her back in an attempt to relieve any discomfort she was feeling.

"Get some rest honey, you need it. And so does our baby", Rick whispered in her ear.

Michonne smiled slightly and rested her head against Rick's, breathing in his breath and letting his beard tickle her cheek.

"Good night" she whispered, before closing her eyes.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Day 12  
The cramps had woken Michonne up multiple times during the night, and every time Michonne woke up, so did Rick. He would rub her back, avoiding her lash marks, and hold her until she was ok again. She tried to sleep, but her mind was racing and her abdomen was aching, and neither would give her rest.

When the sun finally began to light up the sky, Jorje approached the couple with a large bundle of sticks that had been secured with twine.

"Good morning Jorje" Rick said, nodding at the man.

"Morning Rick, Michonne" he acknowledged, nodding back. " We made something for you" he said, holding up the bundle of sticks. It was then that Rick realized Jorje had made a litter.

"Harry, Nicole, and I worked on this last night while we were on watch. There was nothing better to do. And this morning, Chris and David volunteered to help carry you, Michonne."

Totally overcome by the kindness and concern that Jorje had shown, Michonne's mouth opened as if she were going to speak, but no words came out. Instead, she pushed herself to her feet with great effort due to her aching abdomen, and gave Jorje a hug. She hoped her hug would speak for her, as she was unable to speak at the moment. Jorje, getting the message, gently patted her on the back and said "You're welcome".

A half hour later the fires had been extinguished and everyone was awake and ready to go. Michonne laid down on the litter which was being carried by Rick and Chris, but would be passed off to Jorje and David during the first rest stop. She had changed the rag that Aunty Chaniece had given her, and the bleeding had gotten more heavy during the night, making her doubt the hopefulness she had felt the night before. She started to feel silly believing a ten year old and her psychic mother, when the facts were fairytales didn't exist in this world. She kept a hopeful face on as she ate breakfast next to Jada that morning, but now she had her doubts.

As Rick and Chris carried her, she pulled out her map and kept track of their route from her spot on the litter. Just because she was being carried didn't mean she couldn't be helpful. Jada walked next to her, her pitchfork held high in a protective gesture.

The first few hours of walking was uneventful. Every time they passed a sign or highway marking Michonne would check the map, making sure they were staying on the route. They walked well into the afternoon, stopping only a few times to drink water or switch carriers for Michonne's litter. Aunty Chaniece would check Michonne out as much as she could, asking about her pain level and checking for any changes like fever that would signify an infection.

In the late afternoon on day two of their trek, the group finally reached the highway that Rick and Michonne had been captured on. Rick, who was currently on break from carrying Michonne's litter, let out a sigh of relief and turned to smile at her. Although it was still a three day walk back to Alexandria, at least he was certain of where they were now, and there was hope of someone from Alexandria or even the nearby towns of the Hilltop or the Kingdom finding them. He had to cling to any shred of hope he could of getting Michonne to a doctor soon. He noticed she didn't return his smile. In fact she wasn't even looking at him. She was clutching her stomach in pain and breathing deeply.

"Mom, are you ok?" Jada asked, rushing to the litter and leaning over her. Ever since the first time she referred to Michonne as mom, she didn't go back. It was as if she had been just waiting for someone she could call that.

Michonne let out a slow breath. "Yes, I'm ok. It's stopped for now."

Rick approached and grabbed her hand, raising it and kissing the top. "We're at the highway now" he said in his most reassuring voice, "we're almost home. Almost there. Maybe someone will find us. We could be home tonight, or tomorrow."

Michonne nodded just for Rick's sake, but deep down she feared that it was over. She was still bleeding, and the cramping seemed to be getting worse. Although she didn't have a fever, she didn't see this ending well for the fetus. She glanced over at Jada and the hope she saw on the girl's face almost made her shed a tear.

"Remember what I said" Jada whispered, "The baby will be ok."

Rick heard the curious words that Jada said and wondered what she was talking about, but if it was something that would make Michonne feel slightly better about the situation he was all for it.

"It will" he agreed. Michonne nodded in agreement, and Rick moved off to lead the group forward.

Two hours later the group stopped to eat a quick meal and rest their aching feet. Rick and two others were on watch as the rest relaxed.

"How are you feeling honey?" Aunty Chaniece asked Michonne after she returned from checking out a man who had developed a sizable blister on his toe from his boots that were two sizes too small.

"I'm ok" Michonne said absentmindedly, her answer coming automatically.

"No. You're not" Aunty Chaniece said knowingly, "but no matter what happens, you will be."

When Michonne didn't respond, Aunty Chaniece checked her temperature and her abdomen looking for any changes. After her examination she handed Michonne some more water, and kept silent vigil by her side.

Suddenly the sound of bushes rustling startled everyone. Michonne stood as quickly as she could, clutching her katana. Rick ran towards the noise with his ice pick held high. By the time he reached the area of the rustling, the noise stopped. He cautiously approached but he couldn't see much in the thick growth of the forest.

"See anything?" Jorje called, as he scanned another section of woods for anything out of the ordinary.

"No" Rick called, "maybe it was an animal"

The travelers relaxed slightly and many of them lowered their weapons. Rick backed away from the bushes slightly and turned to check out the bushes to the left just to make sure no one was hiding there, when a blur sprang from the overgrowth and tackled Rick to the ground.

"Rick!" Michonne screamed in horror, running towards him. The tattered clothing and pale skin convinced her a walker was trying to bite him, and her stomach dropped when the figure took its nails and raked them across Rick's face, scratching him.

"Nooooo!" Michonne screamed in a blood curdling shout. As she approached, she realized the figure Rick was fighting was not a walker, he was alive and actively choking Rick. Michonne raised her katana to shove it through the man's back when a second smaller figure tackled her from behind, causing her to fall forward, barely having time to put her hands out to break her fall.

Michonne could see the others running to her aid, but it was as if time slowed down. She pushed upwards in push-up position, lifting herself and the person on her back. She then quickly flipped herself so that the person was now straddling her. Her katana had skidded away in her fall. She jammed her palm into the nose of the person sitting on her, which she realized was a woman. When both the woman's hands reflexively moved to her nose, Michonne punched her in the gut and pushed her off.

Rick managed to grab the hands of the man who was choking him, and bent back his pointer fingers enough that he let go from the pain. He kneed the man in the groin and was finally able to reach his icepick, driving it through the man's face, and getting covered with blood.

The woman who Michonne had thrown off rolled to her knees and screamed when she saw her companion laying on the ground. She muttered incoherently and moved towards Michonne as if she were going to hit her again. Rick leaped towards the woman, tackling her to the ground. Jada unsheathed her sickle from her belt, and using all of her momentum she drove the sharp tool through the woman's head. The sickle made a sickening crack when it split the woman's skull. The crack was so loud that it startled Jada and she let go of the tool.

Rick immediately let go of the woman and moved to Michonne.

"Are you ok?" he asked, quickly checking over her body.

"Are you?" she asked, temporarily forgetting about her pain. She thought he had been scratched by a walker. She thought she'd almost lost him.

"Yea, yea I'm fine" Rick said. He reached out to Michonne and supported her as she stood to her feet.

"I thought he... I thought..." Michonne started, but the emotion of everything overcame her and she couldn't finish her sentence. Tears spilled down her cheeks as she hugged Rick.

"I'm okay baby" Rick said, wrapping his arms around her. He looked over and noticed Jada standing there, staring down at the dead woman, her sickle still sticking out of the woman's skull.

"Come here Jada" Rick called, reaching out a hand to her. The girl reluctantly moved forward and Rick included her in the group hug. "You did the right thing" he reassured her, "you protected Michonne".

The group of three hugged as a few of the other people with them checked out the dirty couple. Other members of the group checked out the perimeter and they determined that the man and woman were alone. After a few seconds they let go, and Rick kissed both Michonne's and Jada's foreheads.

"C'mon, lets get you back to the litter" Rick said softly to Michonne, "you shouldn't be walking around, and we have a few more miles before we make camp".

Michonne nodded, and he wrapped his arm around her waist as he led her back towards her litter. Jada bent down to pick up Michonne's sword when Michonne froze in place, startling Rick. She let out a moan and bowled over, the cramps in her abdomen causing her to vomit. Rick slowly rubbed her back as Michonne retched again and again. When she was done, Rick scooped her up into his arms and began to run down the highway.


	10. Chapter 10

The mood in Alexandria had been somber for the last 12 days. When Rick and Michonne hadn't returned from their run, that night there was slight concern, but it wasn't a huge deal. Occasionally people would return late due to cars running out of gas, breaking down, or delay by walker, but they always returned. Especially Rick and Michonne, who were the most capable fighters Alexandria had. By day two, the concern had risen.

Carl, Daryl, Aaron, and Rosita had gone out to search the area of highway that the couple said they'd be using. In one of the small towns surrounding the highway they had found Rick and Michonne's car, parked in front of a storefront with no sign of the couple. All of his parents' belongings were left in the car. Carl's heart dropped at the sight. It was apparent that something serious had happened. The fact that there were no footsteps indicating that they had run somewhere on foot led Daryl to believe they had been taken. After searching for them for the remainder of the day, the four of them returned home to regroup and prepare to scour the area. If the couple were kidnapped, everyone searching would need to be well armed and prepared to fight to get them back.

The group made a plan to have one car with Carl, Father Gabriel, and Rosita travel up and down the long stretch of highway while Daryl, Sasha, and Aaron would check out two nearby towns for clues. At the end of day three, everyone returned home empty handed.

Every day that they went out and returned home with no trace of his parents, ate away at Carl's hope. By day seven he had to face the fact that he may be raising his sister on his own. He wouldn't accept that reality until he had proof of his parents' deaths, but he had to entertain the possibility that that proof may come.

Some of the Alexandrians who didn't leave the town much, would drop off dinner for Carl and Judy so that he didn't have to cook. Others would volunteer their time by watching Judy or putting her to bed so that Carl wouldn't have to. Everyone felt bad for the teen who unwittingly had become a father, but Carl refused to feel sorry for himself. He insisted on caring for his sister. As far as he was concerned, she was the only immediate family he had left, and he accepted the responsibility of raising her. Despite Carl's acceptance of the reality of life without his parents, he refused to give up hope of their survival until he had confirmation that they were dead.

Although his other family members made sure that at least one person was home with Carl and Judith at all times, Carl accepted most of the responsibility for Judith's care. He would get her up in the morning, wash her, feed her, dress her, and take her to whoever was babysitting her that day. He would then go out and join the search for his parents. When he came home he'd pick up Judy and feed her whatever food was available, play with her for a while, and read her a story until she fell asleep. His days were exhausting, and soon after Judy was asleep so was Carl.

One night, while Carl was reading Judy one of her favorite books she looked up at him with her big brown eyes, and said "Dada". Carl's lip trembled with emotion as Judy said it again, "Dada".

"Yea, I miss him too" Carl said, rubbing his cheek on Judy's forehead.

"Mamamama" Judy said.

Carl began to sniffle. "You miss mama?" Carl asked her.

"Mama" Judy said again, and then she began to cry, nuzzling her head into Carl's shoulder. Carl snuggled Judy close to his chest and cried with her. He hadn't cried since he found out his parents were missing, but seeing his sister so upset broke his heart. Although she wasn't able to fully express her emotions, she knew that her parents were gone as well.

"Dada and mama will be back soon Judy, ok?" Carl asked, stroking her back. "And… and if they're not, you'll always have me. I'll take care of you."

By the second week of searching, many of those who had originally volunteered to go out and patrol had started backing out, claiming that they had other things to do, resources were being wasted, and more than likely Rick and Michonne were dead. Carl and Daryl still went out every day, accompanied by one of the other family members, but the constant searching and lack of results were laying heavily on Carl's body and mind. Lack of sleep caused dark circles to form under his eyes and the constant disappointment was draining him. He was on the verge of believing that they really were gone.

Carl had suggested to Daryl that they go on a week long excursion and check the remaining towns that bordered the highway that hadn't been searched. Daryl had lost any potential trails after they found the couple's car, but neither of them wanted to give up.

"I think we should stay out there" Carl said. "Every time we come back here we start from the beginning. If we stay out there for a week and keep going, we can cover more ground."

Daryl nodded as he chewed his lip. "We can stay out for a week. We gotta get enough food and gas for a trip that long, but we can do it. But Carl…" Daryl said, hesitating for a moment.

Carl turned to Daryl, daring him to say that they wouldn't find them. Daring him to suggest that his parents were dead.

Daryl took a deep breath. "After we stay out that long… we can't do it again. We ain't got the resources."

Carl stared at Daryl for a moment before turning his back. "This is our last trip" Carl said coldly, before walking away.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The morning of day five of the road trip began with Carl being startled awake. He knew he'd had a nightmare, but as he awoke the nightmare faded away so that he could no longer remember it. He groaned and ran his hand down his face. He was shocked to find his face was wet from tears. He must've been crying in his sleep. He wiped the tears, rubbed his eyes, and pushed himself up from the bed in the RV. Daryl had been sleeping on the floor next to him while Aaron kept watch, but both men were nowhere to be seen. Carl rolled over and glanced at the window which was lit by the rising sun.

"Shit!" Carl growled, rolling out of bed and stuffing his feet into his shoes. He grabbed his gun off the table next to him and threw the bedroom door open to find the RV empty.

"Dammit!"

He ran through the RV and opened the front door, praying Daryl and Aaron were just outside, but they were nowhere to be seen.

"Fuck!" Carl yelled, completely pissed off. The other two men had been warning him to get sleep, they were concerned about how tired he looked, but Carl insisted on taking double watch shifts. The truth was, he couldn't sleep. The nightmares and stress kept him awake, so since he was up anyway, he wanted to help keep them safe. The previous night was the first time he wasn't on watch, and his body must've made up for lost time because he didn't wake up at dawn like he usually would've. The men must've wanted to let him sleep while they searched the town.

Carl made his way back into the RV, kicking the door in frustration. As he opened one of the cabinets to make himself breakfast he spotted a note.

 _We're checking out the town. You needed the rest. Sleep in, we'll be back by noon._

Carl rolled his eyes, feeling betrayed by the men. He sliced up an apple that he found in the cabinet, dipping it in peanut butter as his breakfast, as he thought about his situation. There was no way he was going back to sleep. Not when he could be looking. When he finished his meal, he decided he would go back to the road and look by himself without his companions.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Rick sprinted down the highway, clutching Michonne in his arms. As he ran, every step jolted and shook her.

"Rick… Rick put me down" Michonne mumbled, "You're gonna hurt yourself…"

"No" Rick said stubbornly, now out of breath "we need to go faster, I can find a car and drive you back and we can pick these people up later."

Michonne took a deep breath as another cramp tore through her abdomen. "You can't… leave them" Michonne said softly when she was able. Rick didn't answer, his head swiveling wildly, looking for a car. Michonne stretched her neck to look behind them. She could see Jada sprinting to catch up with Rick, carrying her katana. And further down the road more of the people were running in their direction, but some were so far away that it would take a few minutes for them to catch up.

"Rick, I'm ok now. Put me down" Michonne insisted, wiggling in Rick's arms. He continued to ignore her, running forward. Michonne slapped Rick in the chest to get his attention.

"Put me down, now!" she said loudly.

Rick snapped out of his panic and reluctantly put Michonne's feet on the ground. Michonne reached up and placed Rick's cheeks between her two hands, forcing him to look her in the eyes.

"We cannot leave these people Rick" she said determinedly, "they need us. So I need you to calm down and wait for them. We'll be ok, but we won't be ruthless."

Rick looked down at the concrete and sighed. _How can she be so calm and put together while she was in so much pain?_

"I don't like seeing you hurt" Rick said, reaching towards Michonne's abdomen and placing his hands on her belly.

Michonne chuckled. "Me neither, but you can't run all the way to the Hilltop, and you can't run away from the people we promised to help."

Rick put both arms around Michonne's thin waist and held on to her as the other travelers caught up to them. Jada was the first to get there.

"Mom! Are you ok?" she asked, eyes wide.

"She's ok" Rick answered, "I just… got scared for her, I panicked… I'm sorry I scared you."

Michonne nodded to corroborate Rick's story, reaching out her hand to hold Jada's. "We're gonna get through this" Michonne said softly. "We started together, we'll end together."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Carl walked down the highway, keeping his eye open for tire tracks, walkers, or the sounds of approaching cars. Although he was alert and actively looking for signs of danger, part of his mind wandered now that it was given the opportunity to.

When he thought of the future, he imagined Enid being his girlfriend, maybe they'd even get married. Maybe they would have their own house in Alexandria, or they'd move to the Hilltop, or even the Kingdom. Or maybe they'd find another community to live in. He imagined eventually having children and what constituted a normal life nowadays. But in all of his future plans he imagined his father being there. Maybe his father and Michonne would have another child, giving Judy a sibling to grow up with. He could see them getting married and coming to visit him and Enid, but never did he imagine having to raise Judy on his own without Rick or Michonne there to support him.

The emotion of his situation suddenly overwhelmed Carl. Against his will, tears began to flow from his eye, even though he hastily wiped them away. He tried fighting the sudden outpouring of grief. With only one eye, if he was crying he was essentially blind, and he needed to be able to see to keep track of his surroundings.

 _Hold it together_ he told himself, _crying doesn't bring them back. Crying doesn't save them_.

He took a deep breath and slowed his breathing, forcing the tears to stop flowing. He swiped at his eyes one more time before movement ahead caused him to freeze. In the distance, he saw a deer eating along the side of the road, oblivious to his presence. Carl lifted his gun and aimed. At least he could bring back some food if he didn't find anything else. Carl lined up the shot and was seconds away from firing when the deer lifted its head and froze, it's ears twitching and listening. Carl stopped to listen too, wondering what the deer was alerted to. The deer turned to glance further up the road where it heard a sound that was indistinguishable to Carl's ears. It then leaped into the bushes and sprinted off.

Carl moved towards the overgrowth on the side of the highway as well. Although he couldn't hear anything, the deer certainly did, and he was thankful for the warning. He crouched down and strained his ears to hear anything. And then he heard it, faint talking. Voices. And footsteps. As he listened he could tell it was a lot of people, more than ten. Carl moved further into the brush and trained his eyes on the road, searching for a visual of who these voices belonged to.

He could see heads coming over the rise of a hill, lots of them. Carl cocked his gun. He had to stay hidden, these were too many people for him to take on, and if they were the same people who had kidnapped his parents, he didn't stand a chance. The group of people wore raggedy clothing that hung off them. He could see at least one child, a little girl. And the man in front was carrying someone. Carl didn't see any guns on the people, but they were carrying shovels, axes, and digging tools. Carl figured his best bet was to observe them and find out as much about them as he could, maybe even follow them to see if they led him back to his parents.

As they approached, Carl was able to study them a little closer. The man in front who was carrying someone else seemed strangely familiar. Carl recognized his bowlegged gait, and his slim body type, and the person he carried had long locs and gorgeous dark skin.

"Dad?" Carl couldn't help the words from exploding from his mouth, but luckily the group was still too far away for them to hear him. He couldn't believe he'd just found his father and Michonne. He was so relieved, his heart began to race and he could feel the tears welling up in his eyes again.

 _Focus Carl, focus. They're alive, but you don't know who these other people are. They can be holding them hostage. And it looks like Michonne is hurt. You have to wait and find out more before you show yourself._

Carl slowed down his breathing and sank back into the bushes. He couldn't take on all these people alone. He would have to hang back. As the group got closer and closer to where Carl was hiding, Carl could make out more details. His father and Michonne both seemed to be injured. His father was hunched slightly as he carried Michonne, and although it may not be obvious to someone who didn't know him, Carl could tell he was in pain. Carl didn't see any noticeable injuries on Michonne, and she was conscious, but she was breathing deeply and she would occasionally close her eyes in pain. Carl knew that if she was allowing Rick to carry her, whatever was wrong had to be bad.

A large man and a little girl walked behind Rick. The girl was carrying Michonne's katana, and the large man had a shovel. The rest of the people were glancing around nervously and it looked like they were trying to keep up with Rick's quick pace. None of them seemed very threatening up close. When they were 30 feet away from Carl's hiding place, Rick stopped walking.

Rick carefully placed Michonne on the ground, and Carl was relieved to see she could stand on her own, although she put her arm on Rick's shoulder to steady herself, and her other hand was pressed into her abdomen.

"Jorje, this is as good a place as any to rest" Rick said turning to the large man, "Ten minute break". The man nodded and raised his hand. Seeing his signal, the others put their packs down and promptly sat on the floor, taking out water bottles and snacks. Some kicked their shoes off or laid down flat on the floor in exhaustion. An older woman came over to Michonne and patted her on the shoulder, speaking to her as Rick looked on. Carl couldn't hear what they were saying, but Rick didn't seem concerned or anxious about these people at all. Carl could tell they weren't being held hostage.

He decided to make his presence known, at least to Rick. Pursing his lips together, Carl made a bird call that the group used often when they were on the road, traveling from Atlanta to Virginia. To someone who didn't know better, it could've been a bird, but Rick and Michonne identified the sound immediately, and they perked up. Carl saw Rick turn to Michonne as if to confirm that he wasn't hearing things, and she nodded wildly. Rick returned the whistle, spinning around, trying to figure out where the call came from.

"Dad?" Carl called, standing up and revealing his position.

"Carl!?" Rick cried, freezing in place at the sight of his son. "Carl!" Rick called again, and he dashed off towards Carl, running at him so fast that he crashed into him, lifting Carl off his feet and spinning him around. "Carl!" Rick cried again, clutching the back of Carl's neck as if he were a baby. Carl buried his face into his father's shoulder, crying hysterically. The others looked on as the two hugged. Carl was the first to pull away, glancing into his father's eyes that looked so similar to his own.

Carl then ran over to hug Michonne, noticing how she winced a little when he wrapped his arms around her. "I can't believe I found you", Carl said to both of them. "Are you ok? What happened? Where were you? Who are these people?"

Rick wiped away his tears. "Carl, we have to get to Hilltop, Michonne needs to get to a doctor. Do you have a car?"

Carl, seeing the seriousness in Rick's eyes, held his curiosity at bay. "Yea. Daryl, Aaron and I have the RV". Carl glanced at the others who were staring at the interaction between Rick, Carl, and Michonne. "It won't fit everyone though".

"We need to get Michonne to Hilltop" Rick said again, "she… she needs to see Dr. Carson"

"Dr. Carson?" Carl looked from Rick to Michonne who was now rubbing her abdomen. "Are you… you're… pregnant?" Carl asked Michonne, his eyes wide.

"We don't know but… I might be. I might be losing it" Michonne admitted, her lip trembling.

"NO" Carl said, "No, we're gonna make sure that doesn't happen. Let's go."

Carl led the others back to the RV at almost the same time that Aaron and Daryl returned, guns pointed at the large crowd that was surrounding their vehicle.

"Shit! You found 'em?" Daryl asked in amazement when he saw Carl and Rick supporting Michonne.

"We have to get to Hilltop now" Carl said, barely offering an explanation, "Michonne needs a doctor"

They worked out that Aaron would drive Michonne and six others who had minor injuries or just couldn't walk the distance back to Alexandria (including Jada and Aunty Chaniece), to Hilltop instead, while the others continued on their journey to Alexandria. Once the RV made it to Hilltop, they'd come back to find the others with cars and horses, to take them on the rest of their way.

After laying Michonne down in the RV bed, Rick plopped himself on the bed next to her.

"Rick what are you doing?" Michonne asked softly.

"I'm staying with you. Daryl and Aaron can lead the others until we come back for them" Rick said, stroking her hand.

"No" Michonne demanded. "You can't leave the others. They helped us Rick, and we promised to get them home. You have to stay."

"I'm not going to leave…" he began. "Rick, you completed the dare" Michonne said, smiling. "You got us out of there. I do need you, but they need you more. You and Carl can keep them safe out here. I'll be safe at Hilltop, and you'll see me soon". Michonne reached up and pulled Rick's face to hers, kissing both his cheeks and then his lips. "No matter what happens, it'll be ok" she said, reassuring him. "And Jada here will take good care of me too" Michonne said, glancing at the girl who was standing in the doorway of the bedroom in the RV. Rick nodded reluctantly and turned to Jada who puffed up in pride. "Keep her safe" Rick said to her. "I will dad" Jada responded, giving Rick a hug before he left the room.

Rick, Carl, and Daryl watched apprehensively as Aaron drove off with the RV headed towards Hilltop. Rick turned towards the group that was left behind. "OK, let's keep moving" he commanded, and everyone picked up their belongings and followed him.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It was almost sun down and the group was just a few miles from Alexandria when a posse of cars and horses from Hilltop showed up to take the large group the rest of the way home. It was fortunate that Rick, Carl, and Daryl decided to stay with the group as they ran into a fairly large herd of Walkers further down the road. Fifteen in total. Although it wasn't much of a challenge to Rick, Carl, and Daryl who were veteran Walker killers, without them, someone would have been killed, as the people were untrained and unexperienced.

"How's Michonne?" an anxious Rick asked Aaron who was driving the RV filled with people back to Alexandria before heading to Hilltop.

"She's doing ok" Aaron said, "when I went to check in on her she was sleeping. Dr. Carson gave her some pain medication for the cramping."

Rick swallowed and paused before he asked the next question. "And… and the baby?" Rick asked.

Aaron sighed. "Dr. Carson didn't tell me much about that, he said he was waiting for you to come. He just told me she was okay and stable."

Rick wiped his eyes in frustration. He wanted to know. He had to know. It seemed like forever before they made it to Alexandria and settled the people into temporary housing. Rick greeted his family members who were ecstatic to see him and terrified that Michonne wasn't with him. He briefly explained that Michonne was at Hilltop and he was headed there to check on her, but she was okay and alive.

He rushed home to see Judith, who was being babysat by Tara. As soon as he opened the door, the little girl ran towards him screaming "Dada! Dada!". Rick scooped Judith up in his arms and squeezed her tightly. "Oh, my girl, hi Judy honey. I missed you so much" he cooed, as he cried. "Dada!" Judith repeated, grabbing handfuls of his hair and kissing his face. After a few minutes of crying, he tried to put Judith back down but she refused, clinging to his shirt and screaming.

"OK honey" he said, smiling. "Ok, you can come with daddy"

Rick, Carl, Judith, and Aaron piled back into the RV and made the trip to Hilltop to see Michonne. Judith fell asleep during the car ride, and Rick asked Carl to wait with her while he went in to talk to Dr. Carson. Rick cautiously opened the door to the infirmary, glancing in as if he were afraid to see what was inside. He noticed three medical beds, two of them empty and the third occupied with a sleeping Michonne. Jada was sitting in a chair a few feet away, sleeping as well. Rick quickly rushed over to Michonne, taking her hand in his. Her eyes fluttered open and she looked at him sleepily.

"Hey baby" he said, running his fingers down the side of her face.

"Hey yourself" she said softly, giving him a smile.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, looking down and noticing the IV line sticking out of her arm.

"Dr. Carson said I was very dehydrated. He gave me fluids" she said, nodding towards the IV. Rick nodded and looked down, seemingly afraid to look her in the eyes. She knew why.

"Rick" she called softly, and he slowly moved his eyes up to meet hers. "I didn't lose it" she said with a smile. Rick's mouth dropped open in surprise, and tears spilled from both of his eyes. "Them", she added.

Rick's surprise turned to disbelief at her last words. "Them?" he asked again.

Michonne smiled as she cried. "Dr. Carson said there's two of them, two heart beats. He showed me on the ultrasound."

Michonne reached under her blanket and pulled out a black and white picture. It was pretty indistinguishable except for two dark holes in the middle of a larger circle. He could see one was labeled Baby A and the other Baby B.

"Oh my God" Rick said in disbelief, shaking his head.

"He said the bleeding and cramping is unusual but not unheard of in early pregnancy, especially with the trauma that I've been through, but the babies are ok. He said I have to be monitored but…"

Rick cut off Michonne's sentence with a deep, all-encompassing kiss. He cradled both sides of her face, holding her in place while his tongue dove into her, and his mouth sucked in her breath.

 _She's alive, our baby, our babies are alive._

When he came up for air, both of them were panting heavily.

"We're having twins!" Michonne said softly, barely believing the news herself.

"We are, and it's everything I've ever wanted" Rick said, reassuring her. "Carl and Judy are outside. Let me get them."

Rick raced outside to let Carl in. Judy was now awake and babbled softly until she saw Michonne laying in the bed. "Mama!" Judy yelled, practically leaping out of Carl's arms to get to her. Michonne opened her arms wide and Judy climbed up her body and plopped into her lap.

"Judy I missed you" Michonne said, kissing Judy all over her face and belly.

Judy laughed hysterically and squirmed in Michonne's arms. Judy's loud laughing woke up Jada who looked on curiously from her chair.

"Come on over here Jada" Rick said, motioning to an empty space by Michonne's bed. Jada cautiously approached, looking out of place amongst the family.

"Carl, Judy, this is Jada" Rick explained, "She helped us get away from the people who were holding us, and she helped take care of us, so she's a part of this family too. We adopted her."

Carl looked from Jada, to Rick, to Michonne. There was a bit of silence as he didn't know what to say. "Uh… hi. I'm Carl" Carl said, holding out his hand. Jada took his hand cautiously and shook it. "Nice to meet you" Jada said politely. She then held out her hand to Judy who looked on curiously and then gave Jada a hi-five.

"All right!" Jada said happily, and Judy mimicked her with a "aaayight"

"So, do you want to tell them?" Rick asked, "or should I?"

Michonne smiled and snuggled back into her pillows. "You tell them" she said.

"Carl, Jada, Judy, we're having twins". Carl and Jada's mouths both dropped open in surprise.

"Twins?" Carl asked. "Two babies?" Jada added. Judy, having no idea what they were talking about, sensed the excitement and clapped her hands together happily.

"Yep, twins" Michonne said, and then she looked to Jada. "You were right, about them being okay. You were right."

Jada smiled. "I'm happy for you guys" she said.

"I can't believe it" Carl said, "I mean… wow… congratulations". Carl hugged both of them.

Dr. Carson walked into the room from another part of the medical trailer. "Hi everyone, just checking her vitals" he said, as he placed a stethoscope on Michonne's chest. Carl, Rick, and Jada moved out of the way as he examined Michonne, checking her temperature and checking her blood pressure.

"I know you guys want to spend more time with her, but Michonne needs her rest for obvious reasons". Michonne let out a loud yawn that validated Dr. Carson's statement. Rick, you can stay, I'd like to check you out as well, and you can sleep in the bed right next to her. Rick nodded and turned to Carl.

"Carl, can you take your sisters to Barrington House? Find them a room…" Rick began.

"Sure dad. Got it" Carl said, cutting him off.

Rick smiled and placed his hand on Carl's neck. "I know you do, son."

Carl leaned over and kissed Michonne's forehead. "Goodnight Michonne, I'm glad you're okay."

Jada did the same, hugging both Michonne and Rick. "Goodnight mom, goodnight dad".

Carl then picked up Judy, who whined when he took her from Michonne. He reached out a hand to Jada who took it with a small smile, and led both of his sisters to find a place to sleep for the night. Rick then climbed onto the bed situated next to Michonne, and Dr. Carson examined him.

"I didn't want to say this with the kids here, but I noticed the scars on her back. I was wondering if you had the same."

Rick nodded. "Yea, we weren't the most cooperative prisoners" he said, taking off his shirt so that he could be examined. Dr. Carson seemed startled at the road map of red marks that marred Rick's back. Michonne almost cried at seeing the scars again.

"My God" Dr. Carson mumbled.

"And you should probably check my finger too" Rick said, as Dr. Carson examined him. "I'm pretty sure it's broken, it's healed somewhat, doesn't hurt anymore, but it was never set right."

After rubbing ointment on Rick's scars, and setting Rick's broken finger, Dr. Carson gave him the same pain killers that he'd given Michonne, causing him to almost immediately get drowsy. Once Dr. Carson left the room, Michonne beckoned for Rick to come over and climb into the small bed she was situated in. Rick obeyed, happily squeezing himself into the available space, even though half his body was hanging off the bed. He wrapped his arms around Michonne and lazily stroked her hair. "Go to sleep hun. You need your rest".

Michonne's eyes closed against her will, and she felt herself falling into a downward spiral of exhaustion. "'Nite" she managed to say, before she was swept away on a wave of painkiller induced sleep.

"Goodnight" Rick mumbled. He then placed his hand on Michonne's abdomen and whispered "Goodnight babies", before he too was asleep.

 **Author's Note:** _ **So, I know Jada's mother said there would be four kids, but I wanted them to have twins so badly that I disregarded that part of the story. I'm debating over whether to leave this story here or to continue. I have writers block on what to include in the next chapter, so if you have suggestions I am open to them. The next chapter, if there is one, will be the last chapter of this story. I am also going to create a fourth story to the Bargaining Chip trilogy, so keep a look out for that during this long hiatus of The Walking Dead. Thank you all for your readership and most of all YOUR REVIEWS! I am so grateful to everyone who takes the time out to tell me what you thought of my work.**_


	11. Chapter 11

Michonne had been confined to the medical bed at hilltop for a week for observation. Keeping her in the bed was a full-time job as Rick, Carl, and Jada rotated Michonne guarding duties.

"I can get up to go to the bathroom" Michonne insisted. "It's just to the bathroom! I haven't felt cramps in two days."

"And we're gonna keep it that way" Carl said, handing her a bed pan.

Michonne rolled her eyes. "You and your dad are overreacting. Me and the babies are fine. Dr. Carson said so."

"And yet, you're still using the bed pan" Carl insisted with a smile, turning to step outside. "Call me when you're done."

A few minutes later, Michonne called Carl back in to the room.

"Don't even _think_ about emptying it" Michonne said, "there's some lines mothers and sons should never cross."

Carl laughed as he settled into the chair next to her bed.

"I'm glad the babies are healthy and growing, but I am so bored" Michonne said.

"So, if you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would you be?" Carl asked, propping his legs up on the side of Michonne's bed.

"Pre or post apocalypse?"

"Both" Carl said.

"Pre-apocalypse I _loved_ to go to the Bahamas. My family would go every year. It was my favorite place to be, warm sand, blue water, good food... I miss it there."

"And post apocalypse?" Carl asked.

"Post apocalypse my favorite place to be is home with my family, my favorite people in the world."

"Aww that's so sweet" Carl said.

"Are you mocking me?" Michonne asked with a grin on her face.

"Nope, just admiring how much you love us."

"I do, you know."

"I know."

"So how is it going, having _two_ little sisters now? I know your dad and I didn't really get to ask you, or decide as a family if Jada would fit…" Michonne began.

"It's… it's okay. I really like her. She's funny, and she's so helpful with Judy, and Judy just loves having another girl around. I think you made the right decision, bringing her in. I think she's…" Carl paused for a moment and laughed as nostalgia overtook him. "I think she might be one of us".

Michonne smiled at Carl's words and reached for his hand. "Well, you seem to be a good judge of that."

"Soon I'm gonna have _four_ younger siblings" Carl said shaking his head incredulously, "I just can't believe it."

"I know it's kind of a shock. It is to me, too. But I'm glad you're their big brother, Carl. It's such a relief to know that if something happens to your father and I, that we can depend on you to do what's right. Not that we plan on anything happening to us any time soon."

Carl smiled and then looked down at Michonne's blanket. "When you guys were gone, I didn't want to believe that you were dead, but… I was getting there. I was scared. I was so scared about raising Judy by myself, but I tried to stay strong for her. I'm so glad you're back."

"I am so proud of you Carl, and your dad is too. I'm sorry you had to go through all of that, and you shouldn't have to raise your siblings. We'll try our best to make sure you never have to."

"But if it comes down to it, I will" Carl said nodding.

Michonne smiled and her eyes filled with tears. "I know you will. Because that's the kind of man you are."

Carl's face turned red in embarrassment. "Yea, let's just hope that never happens" he responded with a shrug.

"Where's your dad?" Michonne asked.

"He was getting Judy dressed but she threw a tantrum because she didn't want to wear socks. He tried to calm her down but she was just screaming. Jada distracted her with a magic trick while dad got her socks and shoes on. That's what they were doing when I left. Dad probably took them to get some food after. He'll be here soon."

"A magic trick huh? That's some quick thinking on Jada's part" Michonne said, impressed.

"Yea, she's really a great kid. She takes after her big brother, y'know?" Carl said with a sly smile. Michonne and Carl shared a laugh as they waited for the rest of the Grimes to arrive.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxx

 **A year after the birth of the twins**

"Ok Judy, stop right there" Carl called to his sister. The three year old stopped walking and turned around to face her brother, excitedly bouncing and moving around.

"Hold your hands out to the side like I showed you" Carl instructed, demonstrating the pose for her. Judy held both of her arms straight out from her sides with her palms facing forwards.

"Ok, now you say ready, set, go!"

"Ready. Set. Go!" Judy screamed enthusiastically, and Carl and Jada took off down the street, running towards Judy full speed. As they pounded the pavement, Carl slowed down just enough for Jada to run past him. Jada reached Judy first and scooped up the girl who served as the finish line, spinning her around in circles while Judy squealed in glee. "I won!" Jada said excitedly, dancing around with Judy.

"Yea, you won" Carl admitted with a slight smirk, "this time at least."

"I win every time!" Jada answered confidently.

"Hey, don't get too cocky or I may have to fix that."

"In your dreams" Jada said with a roll of her neck. Carl loved to make his sister think she was faster than him, but she was becoming a good runner and was close to beating him for real soon. "Mom said if I get fast enough to beat her she might let me come out on a run with her one day and practice using her katana on some walkers."

"I know" Carl responded, walking beside Jada and Judy as they headed towards the open grass area in the middle of Alexandria, "you've gotten good with the katana, but having a real moving walker in front of you is different from training with the dummies. And it takes a lot more practice to get good at killing real walkers."

"Yea I know" Jada said in agreement, "but maybe you can train me too? Mom can only do it once in a while because of the twins, but if you can train me too maybe I can get better faster?"

"Me too!" Judy said from her comfortable spot in Jada's arms.

"Yea I'll see what I can do" Carl said to Jada. "Now as for you", Carl said to Judy, "you still have a few more years."

"I wanna go to the train too!" Judy whined indignantly, having no idea what the two of them were talking about, but knowing that whatever it was she wanted to be a part of it.

"Ok, you can go to the train too" Carl humored her, calming his little sister. "Yaaaay!" Judy said excitedly, clapping her hands. When they reached the end of the block they spotted Michonne, carrying the identical twin girls, Michonnay and Risha, one in each arm. The girls resembled Michonne greatly, inheriting her large expressive brown eyes, wide nose and luscious lips. Their hair was kinky like hers, but as their hair grew, the bottoms of it had a curl on the edges that was all Rick. Michonne loved to stroke the hair at the nape of the babies' neck to relax them and put them to sleep, just like she did to Rick's. It was the babies' first birthday and the family decided to celebrate with a family picnic. Michonne had dressed the girls up in identical poofy purple party dresses Rick had found on a recent run. Michonnay happily chewed on a flower that was attached to the front of her dress while Risha chewed on her fingers. The girl's hair was styled into two puffs on the top of their heads, a style that took Michonne almost an hour to do since the rambunctious girls kept crawling and toddling away from her whenever she stopped to get a brush or rubber band.

"Aww they look so pretty" Jada said, reaching out and gently pinching Risha's cheek, causing the girl to smile and show off her dimples and her two bottom teeth that were growing in.

"You look pretty" Judy repeated, tickling Michonnay's foot causing her to giggle. When the twins saw Carl, they both reached out their pudgy little hands to him and whined for him to hold them.

"Looks like your biggest fans have arrived" Michonne said playfully to Carl as she passed him both girls.

"What can I say?" Carl joked, "I'm a ladies' man." He maneuvered his sisters, one on each hip. Michonne playfully patted Carl's back and grabbed Judy's hand. "C'mon, let's go get daddy".

The group of six walked over to the front gates where Rick was ending his watch shift. When he saw his family approaching, Rick passed his weapon to Rosita who was relieving him, and quickly climbed down the ladder to meet them.

"Hey dad" Carl said.

"Hey son" Rick said happily, and then he leaned over and kissed Michonne. "And how's my girls?" Rick asked his daughters.

"Daddy, Carl said I can go on the train" Judy stated proudly.

Rick turned to Carl with a questioning look. "Jada wanted me to train her, Judy heard the conversation" Carl explained.

Rick gave an amused look and patted Judy on the head. "Jada, you're still working on becoming a warrior princess, huh?" he asked. "Yea, like mom" Jada said, looking at Michonne who smiled.

Rick turned to his two youngest daughters. "And look how pretty my baby girls look today. Happy birthday sweethearts". He kissed each of the girls on their heads as they gurgled in laughter, and then took Risha from Carl. The family began to walk to the grassy picnic area.

"Your baby girls gave mommy a run for her money when she tried to do their hair" Michonne said to Rick.

"Is that so?" Rick asked, turning to Risha. "Crawling away from mommy again huh?"

"Yea, they even know to go in two directions so one of them won't get caught right away. I think they're smarter than we think." Michonne laughed.

"Of course you are, sweetheart" Rick said to Risha. "You're smart just like your daddy aren't you?"

Michonne smirked at Rick. "Can you believe they're already one? It's so cliché saying this, but it seems like yesterday they were born."

"Yea, I'm just so grateful that we have them, and they're healthy, and you're healthy." Rick leaned in and gave Michonne another kiss on her cheek, and then the side of her neck, and then her throat.

"Ewww guys, save it for when you're alone!" Carl called from a few feet ahead of them, "I hear the kissing without even turning around."

"Well walk a little faster then" Rick quipped, getting one last kiss to Michonne's lips.

They finally arrived at the picnic area and Michonne spread out a blanket. She then placed Michonnay and Risha on it. She and Rick settled down next to the babies, as Judy convinced Jada and Carl to play a game of freeze tag. A few minutes later, Aunty Chaniece and her sister Ann walked by, out for an afternoon stroll.

"How are my girls?" Aunty Chaniece sang happily, as the twins, hearing her voice, crawled towards her. They climbed up on her legs, using them as a support to stand. "Mishy and Rishy, look how pretty you are babies! Happy birthday!"

"How are you ladies?" Rick asked, "Why don't y'all come join us? we're just having a birthday picnic for the girls."

Aunty Chaniece gave Rick a sideways glance. "Rick, you already know, with Ann's arthritis if she gets on that blanket she'll never get up again."

"Oh hush Chaniece, he was just tryin' to be nice" Ann scolded her sister.

"Oh, I'm just joking Ann. Don't upset yourself and break a hip."

Michonne chuckled at the sisters. "Thanks for the pie you sent yesterday Aunty Chaniece, you know how much we love it. We had to stop Carl from eating the whole thing himself."

"Well if my boy wants some pie I can bake a whole one just for him. It isn't any trouble at all, I know y'all have plenty of apples here."

On cue, Carl spotted Aunty Chaniece and Ann and came over. "Carl honey, I'm gonna bake you a pie, I heard you enjoyed my last one so much."

"Really?" Carl asked, overjoyed. "Awesome! Thank you Aunty Chaniece!"

"Not a problem Carl. Now, I'm actually glad I saw you all because I wanted to talk to you about the wedding food. It's coming up fast and I still need four heads of lettuce from hilltop for the salad, and some cantaloupe from the kingdom for my fruit salad. And I know we still have loads of potatoes at The Farm for my famous potato salad."

Even though Michonne had decided that she was fine without an official wedding, once Carl heard that the pair had decided to get married privately during their ordeal he begged them to have an actual ceremony.

 ** _A year previously_**

 _"_ _We decided not to have a ceremony. We decided that we love each other, so we're married, and that's the only ceremony we need", Michonne explained from her hospital bed at the Hilltop._

 _Carl stared at Michonne for a moment in disbelief. "You're not gonna have a wedding? What about the dress, and the flowers, and a big party, and the presents?"_

 _"_ _We don't need all of that. We already have everything we need Carl."_

 _"_ _Well what about us?" Carl asked indignantly._

 _"_ _What?"_

 _"_ _What about me, and Judy, and Jada? Don't we deserve to see our parents get married? I mean, I know you guys don't want it, but I do. I want everyone to know how much you love each other. I want to see a party where you guys are the center of attention. Dad's been leading this group for years, and you've been by his side, and you guys never get recognition. I want you to have a wedding day where everyone is looking at the two of you."_

 _There was a silence for a few seconds. Michonne was stunned by Carl's words. She didn't realize that the children might want to see them get married officially, she just figured that it wasn't something she needed._

 _"_ _Would that make you happy? If your dad and I had a ceremony?"_

 _"_ _Well yea. And don't forget the party afterwards" Carl said with a smirk._

 _"_ _Hmm… something tells me the party would be the highlight of your day."_

 _"_ _Well, it's not like we have those often."_

 _Michonne had given in for the sake of the children. It wouldn't hurt to be the center of attention for a day, but the party seemed to just get bigger and bigger as time went on, and most of the wedding fever was fueled by Rick, Carl, and Aunty Chaniece._

"Your potato salad is a legend" Michonne agreed with Aunty Chaniece, "I think I lived off of it for the last three months of my pregnancy."

"Yep, I'm surprised my little babies here weren't born addicted to potato salad" Aunty Chaniece joked.

"Ok Aunty Chaniece, dad and I will get you and Aunty Ann anything you need. Thanks for getting all the food together" Carl said thankfully.

"We like cooking" Ann explained, "we like feeling useful in some way. And my husband Thomas is gonna help us too, we've got a whole catering service going on in our kitchen."

"We're mighty grateful" Rick said, grabbing hold of Michonnay who was about to put a blade of grass in her mouth, "and tomorrow Carl and I are heading to the Party City to get some decorations."

"Sounds good. Now come on Ann, we've still got a few things to plan before Saturday" Aunty Chaniece said to her sister, "bye sweethearts, happy birthday" she said to the twins

"I'm coming, I'm coming" Ann grumbled, following after her sister.

"Bye Aunty Ann! Bye Aunty Chaniece!" Michonne called after the women, "I'll stop by after I put the twins to bed."

"Okay dear, see you later" she called.

When the older women walked away, Michonne turned to Rick with a grin. "You're getting decorations for our wedding from a party city?"

"Hey, you're the one who said you wanted it low key" Rick retorted. "If it were up to me we'd have the wedding at an actual catering hall with fine china and a string quartet, after we cleared the hall of rotting walkers of course."

"Oh, so romantic" Michonne teased, "maybe we could give out walker fingers as party favors."

"That's the spirit!" Rick responded as he pulled Risha and Michonnay closer to them. "Don't worry honey, this wedding is going to be great. You just have to show up and enjoy."

After Carl, Rick, and Michonne let the younger girls have fun chasing each other around, they called them back over to sing happy birthday to the twins. Michonne pulled out a batch of cupcakes she had made with some cake mix Glenn and Daryl had found on a run. She pulled out two of the cupcakes and stuck a birthday candle into each of them. Once she lit it, the babies were enthralled, trying to reach out to grab the bright, moving, flame. The family sang happy birthday together, and then Jada and Judy blew the candles out for their sisters. As Rick passed everyone a cupcake, Michonne took a moment to reflect on how grateful she was to have her family, and especially her two miracle daughters who she thought may never survive.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 ** _The night before the wedding_**

Michonne laid back on the couch as Jada silently painted another one of her toenails the light shade of pink that the little girl had picked out. Jada had insisted that she do Michonne's nails as a wedding gift to her, and Michonne was so moved by her oldest daughter's gesture that she burst into tears. But now that the girl had started painting she'd gone quiet, and Michonne could see that she was far away in her own world.

"Jada?" Michonne called, catching the girl's attention once again.

"Sorry" she said, sheepishly. "I was just thinking."

"You don't have to be sorry" Michonne explained. "Do you want to tell me what you were thinking about?" but the tears that she saw welling up in Jada's eyes answered all of her questions.

"C'mere" Michonne insisted, opening her arms. The girl quickly went to them and gave Michonne a hug.

"I remember you said your mom used to do your nails when the two of you were on the road. Is that why you wanted to do mine?" Michonne asked.

Jada nodded slowly. "When I was sad, or scared, or if we saw something really bad, my mom would do my nails when we camped for the night, to make me feel better. It was just something we had between us. I had like five different colors and she'd paint my nails a color depending on my mood."

"Were you trying to make me feel better? Less nervous about tomorrow?" Michonne asked. Jada nodded slightly.

"And I want us to have something that we do, too. Like me and my mom did" Jada responded sweetly.

Michonne's heart was so full of love for the girl at that moment. She couldn't believe how resilient this child was in the face of cruelty and loss, and yet she still was kind and sweet.

"Oh, I want that too" Michonne said softly, pushing Jada's hair from her face. "I think we should make that a thing. We have a girl's night where we do each other's nails and talk. Maybe Judy could join us sometimes, and other times it's just us. Would you like that?"

"Yea!" Jada said enthusiastically.

"Okay, finish up my nails and then you've got to get to bed. We have a big day tomorrow!"

"Okay mom" Jada said, as she picked up the nail polish again.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

After Jada finished Michonne's nails and headed off to bed, Michonne went to kiss the rest of the children goodnight. Michonnay and Risha were already asleep in their cribs and Michonne bent down to kiss their foreheads, breathing in their sweet baby smell. She gently rubbed her hand over each girl's curls and then went to Judy's room. Although Judy had been put to bed a half hour ago, she was still awake when Michonne quietly opened the door.

"Hi mommy" Judy said from the darkness, to Michonne's surprise.

"What are you doing still awake?" Michonne asked before sitting on the side of Judy's bed.

"I was waiting for you to say nite nite" Judy explained.

"Oh, I see, well goodnight my beautiful girl. I will see you in the morning for the wedding."

"Mommy, does a wedding mean you and daddy will go away from us?" Judy asked.

Michonne was so startled by the question she paused for a moment. "No honey, no daddy and I aren't going away from you. We'd never do that. We're a family, and a family stays together. Who told you that?"

"Carl said you and daddy were going to the moon and we had to stay here"

Michonne was completely confused. "The moo… oh, a honeymoon!"

 _A honeymoon? We're going on a honeymoon? Really?_ Michonne thought. She and Rick hadn't discussed going away somewhere. Especially with the twins being so young.

"Um… Judy, daddy and I aren't going away for long. I promise we'll be back. It's just like a short run that married people go on."

"But why? Do you have to go on a run when you get married? Why can't we come?"

"You know you can't go on runs yet, you're too little. And a honeymoon is a special run, just for married people. But don't worry, I promise we'll be back soon. We'll always come back for you, ok honey?"

"Ok mommy" Judy said.

"Ok. Now go to sleep so you're not a little sleepyhead tomorrow. I love you Judy, goodnight."

"Goodnight mommy" Judy said, and snuggled a little deeper into her covers. After Michonne kissed Judy's forehead, she went to her own bedroom to say goodnight to Rick. They, or mostly Rick, decided that they would spend the night before the ceremony in separate houses, just for the sake of tradition. Rick would get ready in their home, with the kids, while Michonne slept over Tara and Rosita's house. Michonne was not one to follow rules just for the sake of tradition, but she did like the idea of surprising Rick with her dress.

She found Rick sitting on their bed, next to Carl. As soon as the two of them saw Michonne, Carl hopped up quickly.

"'Night mom, see you tomorrow" he said quickly, as if he were trying to change the subject.

Michonne eyed him suspiciously, but let him off the hook. She'd find out what they were talking about from his father.

"Goodnight Carl" she said, touching his arm as he passed her to return to his room. As soon as he left, Michonne rounded on Rick.

"So, we're going on a honeymoon?" she asked

Rick's eyes got wide and then he quickly struggled to maintain a normal face. "What makes you think that?"

"Your daughter cannot keep a secret, and she thinks we're going to the moon" Michonne said, placing her hands on her hips.

Rick shook his head in amusement. "I know she can't keep a secret, which is why I didn't tell her. She must've overheard Carl and I talking." Rick looked up at his wife with her hands on her hips and her look that demanded to be told the truth. "I'm not telling you anything else, so don't look at me like that. And please don't ask me Michonne. You know I won't lie to you, and I want it to be a surprise."

Michonne stared at Rick a while longer until she realized he was serious about not telling her. "Fine" she sighed. She held out her arms to Rick who happily got up and nestled himself in them. "I'm heading over to Tara and Rosita's" Michonne said, rubbing her face against Rick's nice smelling neck.

"Okay baby, you know I'll miss you tonight, but I'll see you in the morning. Sleep well" Rick said, planting a kiss on the side of her neck.

"You know I won't without you, but I'll see you in the morning sweetie. I love you", Michonne responded.

"I love you too sweetheart", Rick said as he reluctantly let go of his wife. "Don't stand me up!"

"I wouldn't for the world" Michonne called as she left the room.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXx

"Michonne"

Michonne heard a soft voice calling her name. The voice sounded far away, and it was so soft that she convinced herself to ignore it and drift back to blissful sleep.

"Michonne!" the voice called again.

 _What? I'm tired, I got to bed late. Leave me alone!_ She thought, as she ignored the voice.

"Michonne, I know it's your wedding day, but if you don't get that behind out of bed, child…" Aunty Chaniece called, gently shaking Michonne.

Michonne's eyes fluttered open and she bolted upright. "What? What time is it?" she asked.

"Time to get ready. The wedding starts in three hours" Aunty Chaniece said.

"I slept that long?" Michonne asked as she stretched. She was usually awake by 5:30.

"You must've needed the rest. And I don't blame you with them babies crawling around. But if you sleep any longer you'll miss the wedding."

Michonne sat up from the bed and stretched.

"I brought over some breakfast for you, and Tara and Rosita are setting up a make-up station in the living room."

"A make-up station?"

"Their idea. They're just waiting for you."

Michonne stood from the bed. "Thank you, Aunty Chaniece. I'm just going to take a shower."

"Wait honey, I have something for you" Aunty Chaniece said, pulling out a package wrapped in tissue paper.

Michonne's eyes widened at the sight of the present.

"I know you don't like to be fussed over, but I wanted to give you something on your big day, even if you're already married" Aunty Chaniece teased. Before Michonne could speak, she held up her hand.

"Just open the package" Aunty Chaniece demanded.

Michonne complied, unwrapping the tissue paper. She revealed two diamond earrings that sparkled brightly in the light as if they'd been recently cleaned.

"They're beautiful" Michonne gushed, admiring the earrings' sparkle.

"They're my mother's. They've been in the family for generations. When we escaped from my home I shoved them into my bag, wanting to hold on to the past, and what I thought was precious. I thought that if we could ever be normal again, I would regret losing them. Ann and I, we never did have any children. I was planning to pass them on to my daughter if I ever had one. Now, I've realized that I do have a daughter, and I'm honored to give these over to her on her wedding day."

Michonne looked into Aunty Chaniece' eyes which were beginning to run over with tears. Her eyes matched Michonne's. Michonne opened her arms and embraced the older woman in a hug.

"Thank you" she sniffled, "I'm honored to be your daughter. And I'll pass them down to mine when they get married."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 ** _Two hours later_**

Rick had been at the church for a half hour, greeting the guests that had traveled from Hilltop, the Kingdom, and The Farm for their wedding. He tried to engage in small talk, and listen to the congratulations as more and more people showed up, but his heart and mind was racing with nervousness. He thought it was hilarious that he was nervous about getting married to a woman who he'd been married to for over a year already, but he was.

Carl, Rick's best man, sensing his father's nervousness would occasionally crack jokes to ease Rick's mind. He would whisper things like "Hey dad, does the drinking age still apply?", and "I wasn't supposed to write a best man speech, right?" to make Rick crack up with laughter. The two men waited patiently in the church for the number one woman in their lives to show up.

After waiting for what seemed like an eternity, Maggie entered the church with a smile, and signaled to the choir director from The Kingdom for start singing. The choir began their acapella rendition of Shania Twain's 'From this Moment on'

 _From this moment life has begun_

 _From this moment, you are the one_

 _Right beside you is where I belong_

 _From this moment on_

 _From this moment, I have been blessed_

 _I live only, for your happiness_

 _And for your love, I give my last breath_

 _From this moment on_

 _I give my hand to you with all my heart_

 _I can't wait to live my life with you I can't wait to start_

 _You and I will never be apart_

 _My dreams came true because of you_

 _From this moment, as long as I live_

 _I will love you, I promise you this_

 _There is nothing, I wouldn't give_

 _From this moment on_

Rick watched as the flower girls, his four daughters, appeared all dressed in white dresses. Judy was first with a basket full of white flower petals that she happily sprinkled on the ground. Jada was behind her, holding one of Michonnay's and one of Risha's hands as they tightly grasped their flower petals in the other. There were many oooohs and awwwwws as the four girls made their way down the aisle. Rick was almost in tears and he hadn't even seen the bride yet. And then he saw her.

Michonne was dressed in a simple white silk dress, that flowed straight down to her ankles. It was sleeveless, and had a sharp V neck that went down past her breasts, revealing slight cleavage that had Rick hardening immediately. Michonne had gone back and forth on the type of dress she would wear, she had never been self-conscious before, but she did realize that the permanent scars on her back from her ordeal at The Farm would be visible if she wore certain dresses. After thinking about it for weeks, she decided that she didn't care. The scars were part of who she was now, and she wouldn't hide that. Not from Rick, not from the wedding guests, not from anybody. The dress was devoid of any beading, sequins, or jewels, but the way that it hugged Michonne's curves made her look flawless. Rick noticed the beautiful diamond earrings Michonne was wearing. His eyes then moved to her face and he was captivated by the glow that was coming from her. She looked effervescent. He noticed that she had make-up on, and he realized it was the first time he'd ever seen her with make-up since he'd met her. He was in absolute awe. Aunty Chaniece escorted her down the aisle, looking like a proud mama.

Michonne couldn't help but beam when she first spotted Rick. He was wearing a white button down dress shirt with a light blue tie, and she almost burst into tears as she knew that he wore the blue tie because he knew how much she liked when he wore blue and it brought out his eyes. He had brushed his hair, making it fluffy and immaculate, and to her surprise he had completely shaved off his beard, making his face as smooth as a baby's bottom. She hadn't seen him so freshly shaved since they had arrived in Alexandria, and she couldn't wait to rub against his smooth skin. Carl stood next to him looking as handsome as ever. He had even trimmed his hair slightly, making it look more tame. Her heart filled with gratitude and pride for the gorgeous men in her life.

When they stopped at the front of the church, Aunty Chaniece took Michonne's hands and put them into Rick's, and then kissed Michonne on the cheek. She winked at Rick, and then took a seat in the front pew next to the girls.

"You look beautiful" Rick said, his voice full of emotion. Michonne grinned in response. Rick turned Michonne around and the two of them faced the waiting congregation in the church. Rick began to speak.

"I know usually at weddings people read vows expressing their love and devotion to each other, but Michonne and I have already declared our love to each other, in words and deeds. The proof of our love is found in our family, our five children, and all of you. So we've decided to take this time to express our love for our family, which includes every single one of you. Especially those of you who were with us in our darkest times, especially on the road to Alexandria." Rick turned to Michonne and nodded, gently stroking her hand.

Michonne began. "We wanted to take the time to acknowledge our extended family and tell each of you what you mean to us. Carol, let's start with you." Carol's eyes widened in shock at the mention of her name and her face immediately turned red.

"Carol, you have saved us so many times I can't even keep count. In the prison you did some things to keep us safe that we didn't understand at the time, but we all know that you have always had our best interest at heart. You and Tyrese, who is no longer with us, risked your lives to protect Judith on the road. You kept her safe even though she was a defenseless infant. You sacrificed for her, only to bring her back to her father, and inevitably to me too. At Terminus you blew up a building to save our lives, and came in there like a commando all by yourself, all to keep us alive. When the Wolves attacked our home, without you, everything could have been lost, everyone. Our children could have been lost. After all the pain and trauma that you have been through, you have become a hell of a woman, and we wouldn't be alive without you. So, on behalf of Rick and I, we would like to thank you, and we love you."

When Michonne looked up at Carol the woman was sobbing into her hands, totally overwhelmed by the words. No one had ever publicly acknowledged Carol that way in her entire life. No one had ever openly said how much she was loved and needed. Michonne quickly scurried over to Carol and hugged her, followed by Rick who kissed her on the cheek. When they let go, Carol placed a hand on Michonne's cheek as thanks and the couple moved away.

"Daryl" Rick began. "What can I say about Daryl. You're my brother, and I mean that with every fiber of my being. We all have the family we're born into, but the family that we choose, sometimes that's even more special. Daryl, you saved Michonne, Carl, and I when we were on the road. You were even willing to take a beating to save our lives. You have saved my life personally on so many occasions. And when others had stopped looking for Michonne and I, and with good reason, you didn't give up. You saved Judy's life when she was only a day old, finding formula for her when I couldn't. Thank you brother, for everything." Daryl was chewing his lip and nodding his head. Rick held out a hand to shake Daryl's hand, and to everyone's surprise Daryl gave Rick a hug. Rick reciprocated, patting him on the back, and then they quickly let go, overwhelmed. Michonne reached over and squeezed Daryl's hand, and then continued on while Rick got a hold of himself.

"Maggie, my sister. You are such a ray of sunshine in this dark world that we live in. After all you've lost, you are still the most positive, caring, encouraging person that I know. I am inspired by you every day. Your strength of character is amazing, and if something were to happen to Rick and I, which it almost did, I would want you and Glenn to take care of our children. I know that they would be in good hands with a mother like you. We love you, dearly." Maggie was already crying from the words said to the others, but she wrapped her arms around both Rick and Michonne and hugged them. "We would be honored to" she responded. Glenn who was sitting next to her nodded in agreement.

Michonne continued. "And Sasha, you have grown so much from the time you first came to the prison. You have lost so much, and yet you're still going, you're still alive, you're still you. I admire you deeply, and I admire your ability to come back from the brink. I wish I was half as skilled with a rifle as you, and I just want you to know that we love you." Sasha reached out a hand and squeezed both Rick and Michonne's.

"Glenn" Rick said, "if it weren't for you, none of us would be here. Especially me. Sometimes I think about what would have happened if you had decided not to save me that day in downtown Atlanta. If you had decided to not risk your life for a random fool in a tank. If you hadn't radioed me when you did I was preparing to put a bullet through my head rather than get ripped apart by those walkers. I remember your first words to me. 'Hey dumbass'." Everyone laughed at Rick's words, including Glenn. "But I owe you so much. I owe you everything. I never would've found my family without you. And I would do anything for you Glenn, I mean that." Glenn hugged the couple and then returned to his spot next to Maggie.

"And last but certainly not least, my only son, my baby boy, Carl. Carl how can I even begin to describe how proud I am of you. How grateful I am to have a son like you. You have been through more than I could ever imagine." Rick stopped and wiped a tear from his eye, and Michonne reached out to hold Rick's hand. "You got shot twice, and injured more times than I can count. And every time you hurt, I hurt. In the beginning, I wished I could have saved you from all the trauma that living in this world would bring, but now I realize that all the trauma helped to shape you into who you are now. And I wouldn't trade that for the world. I admire how much you care for your sisters, and how when you thought we were gone you just stepped up. I know that if something ever happened I could always count on you to do the right thing, and that's everything. _Everything_. You took care of Judy from the day she was born, when I wasn't there physically and emotionally. You brought Michonne and I together, you brought this family back together, when I couldn't. And _you_ found us Carl. You didn't give up, even when others told you that you should. You saved us. You are such a good man, and Michonne and I, we love you. _I_ love you Carl." Carl released a sob as he collapsed into his father's arms. Carl knew that he was loved by his father, but to hear his father mention all the things that he had done, and been through, and how he was proud of him, brought him to tears. Michonne allowed Carl and Rick to hug, knowing that this moment was a special moment for the two of them. Once Carl let go of Rick, he hugged Michonne, and Michonne was shocked by how much taller Carl had grown, and how much of a man he'd become. It wasn't that she hadn't seen him every day, but at that moment she realized that he really was a grown man. And she was proud of the role she played in shaping him. She nuzzled her head into his shoulder and whispered "I love you son." Carl nodded and squeezed her tighter. "I love you too" he said back.

Once Carl had let go and Michonne regained control of her emotions, she spoke again. "Our life and our happiness is due to the love of everyone here. Whether we met you on the road like Abraham, Tara, Rosita, Eugene or Father Gabriel, or we met you here in Alexandria, or we met you at The Farm like Jorje, Aunty Chaniece, Jada, and a long list of others, you are connected to us. There's a long list of people who are gone, who helped keep us alive, and who helped us become the family that we are. Lori, Carl and Judith's mother, Shane who got Carl out of Atlanta, Andrea who helped me to trust when I thought I couldn't trust anyone, Beth who convinced me to open my heart to Judith even when I didn't want to, Tyrese who protected Judith on the road, Hershel who helped Rick heal when he was grieving, and so many others. They will be connected to us forever. _All of you_ will be connected to us forever. And we just wanted to tell you all that we love you" Michonne said, finishing their tribute. There wasn't a dry eye in the church as everyone reflected on what was expressed.

Rick turned to Michonne and placed both hands on her face. Now he spoke softly, not concerned if the people around him heard what he was saying. "And to my beautiful wife. My love, my protector, my confidant, my warrior, and the mother of my children. I love you most of all." He leaned in and planted a soft kiss on Michonne's lips, pressing himself into her. Michonne was overcome with love for this man who had saved her in every way possible. Forgetting everyone around her, she kissed him back, opening her mouth to deepen the kiss. She clung to him tightly, feeling his heart beat against her own. The rest of the room was silent, they seemed to know the couple needed this brief moment to share their affection with each other.

When they were done, they pulled away from each other, but still held hands.

Rick turned to the gathering of family and friends. "So, you all already know this, but I now declare us husband and wife" Rick said in his most official voice, causing Michonne to giggle. "And I know I already did this, but I will now kiss my bride… again."

Rick kissed Michonne again with more passion as the entire gathering stood and cheered wildly. Jada hugged Judy, Michonay, and Risha tightly as she bounced up and down in excitement.

"And now, let's eat!" Michonne said to the crowd.

Carl lifted Judy, Michonne held Risha, and Rick held Michonnay in one arm and held out an elbow for Jada to wrap her arm around his, and the entire family walked from the church to the applause of their happy family and friends.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Immediately after the ceremony, everyone dug into the tables full of food that had been saved up for months. Auntie Chaniece had cooked the majority of it with help from her sister Ann and Ann's husband Thomas, all of them proud to be feeding so many people once again. Daryl and Jorje had gone out two days before and had taken down a 250 pound deer, and the smell of the meat roasting on a spit was mouthwatering. Auntie Chaniece's apple, pumpkin, and peach pies were a hit, and Michonne laughed hysterically and squealed as Rick smashed pieces of it on her face as he was pretending to feed her.

Loud music blared from a cd player as people danced in the grass or in their chairs. "May I have this dance?" Rick asked Michonne, staring into her eyes.

"Okay" Michonne said, nodding. "Wait, can you dance?"

Rick scoffed at Michonne's question. "Of course I can, don't you know I'm a man of many skills? I dance as well as I sing."

Michonne smiled. "Well in that case, yes you may have this dance."

Rick stood up and held out his hand to Michonne who placed hers in his. He kissed her hand and then led her to the grass where the dancing crowd moved out of the way to make space for them. Rick made a hand signal to Glenn who was the DJ for the night. He quickly changed the song, and a medium tempo beat blared across the town. Michonne immediately recognized the song.

"You didn't" she said with a smile.

"I did" he replied, pulling her close to him and rocking side to side.

"You gonna sing for me too?" she asked, looking into her husband's eyes.

"The things I do for love" Rick said with an exaggerated sigh, "okay fine"

Michonne smiled as they rocked together for the intro to the song. When the words began, Rick sang along at the top of his lungs.

"I-I'm so in love with you, whatever you want to do, is alright with meeeeee"

Michonne smiled at Rick's goofiness.

"'Cuz you make me feel so brand newwww. I want to spend my life with youuuuu. Let me say since, baby, since we've been together. Ooooh, loving you forever, is what I neeeeed." Rick's voice cracked as he held the note causing Michonne to burst into laughter. She then joined in with his loud singing for the next verse.

"Let me be the one you come running toooo. I'll never be untrueeeeee. Ooh baby, let's- let's stay together, loving you whether, whether, times are good or bad, and happy or sad."

The two of them were singing so loudly they could be heard over the speakers, but they didn't care. The love Michonne felt for Rick at that moment was so much stronger than any love she'd felt for a man in her life. She was so grateful for the second chance that God, fate, the powers that be, or whoever else was controlling their lives gave them when she decided to head for the prison that day.

As the two of them sang and danced together on their wedding day, she was grateful for all the bad that happened because it all lead to this moment in time, of complete happiness and contentment.

As the sun set, everyone, including the visitors who had traveled to Alexandria for the party began to find a place to settle down for the night. They had to end the party at sundown so that the noise wouldn't attract walkers. The day was so perfect it was easy to forget that they had dangers lurking right outside the gates.

Carl brought the twins over to his parents. "I'm gonna bring them home" he said to his parents. "They're getting sleepy. And Risha _really_ needs a diaper change" Carl said, making a disgusted face.

Michonne reached out to take Risha. "I can change her before you take her…" Michonne began, and Carl practically slapped her hand away.

"Uh… no. It's your wedding day, and the beginning of your honeymoon. I've got this. Jada promised to help with the twins, and Judy is on big sister duty too. I don't expect to see either of you for the next three days. Not out on the wall, not wandering around town, and certainly not coming home. Go have fun 'cuz this is the last time I'm watching all four girls by myself" Carl said seriously.

"Three days?" Michonne asked, looking at Rick.

"You said you wanted to do something nice for a honeymoon, besides escaping a slave farm and dodging booby traps and walkers. So, I'm gonna give you that. It's my gift to you."

Michonne smiled and her heart overflowed with love for her husband. "But where? How? And we've never been away from the babies that long…"

"Shhh" Rick said, cupping her cheek. "Just trust me."

Michonne nodded. "Say bye to mom and dad" Carl said to his sisters. The babies just looked on curiously as Rick and Michonne each kissed the little girls on the forehead and cheeks.

"Jada! Judy! Come say bye to mom and dad!" Carl called to his sisters. The girls who had been dancing and chasing each other around in the grass raced over. "Bye mommy, bye daddy" Judy said, giving both of them a hug. "Have fun but hurry up and come back!" Jada said, hugging them.

"Bye girls, be good and help Carl with the babies" Rick reminded them. "Okay dad" Jada said. Carl walked off with the twins, one in each arm, as Judy followed behind him. Jada began to run off too but stopped and turned around, coming back over to whisper something in Michonne's ear.

When Michonne heard what Jada asked she smiled and nodded her head. "Sure. I think they'd like that" Michonne responded. Jada smiled again and ran off after her siblings.

"What was that about?" Rick asked, perplexed.

"She asked if she could paint the twins' toe nails if they got sad and missed us. It's… it's a girl thing" Michonne said after seeing Rick's confused look.

He nodded. "Must be."

"So where are we going?" Michonne asked, curious to see what Rick had planned. Rick took a handkerchief from his pocket. "I'll tell you, but I need you to use your imagination a little bit. This is to help you."

Michonne allowed Rick to wrap the handkerchief around her eyes.

"I need you to trust me" Rick said.

"I do" Michonne responded.

He kissed Michonne's neck and then moved behind her with both hands on her shoulders.

"Let's walk"

As they moved through the streets, Michonne could hear other wedding guests shuffling about, yelling 'congratulations' to them and 'have fun'. Michonne was totally clueless, but others seemed to know where she was going. As they walked, Rick began whispering in her ear.

"Carl told me you used to go to the Bahamas with your family every year, and you loved the beach and the sand and the water. So, I want you to pretend that's where we are. We're in the Bahamas, on our honeymoon, and we're gonna be there for three days."

Michonne snorted at the idea of pretending to be somewhere she clearly was not, but she knew Rick was trying, so she went along with it.

"Ok. I'm in the Bahamas. Got it."

"Good. It's the first night of our honeymoon. What would you like to do?" Rick asked, as he led her down the street.

"Oh, there's all kinds of things I'd like to do" Michonne giggled.

"We can do anything you want"

"Anything?"

"That's what I said"

Rick stopped walking and said "watch your step" as he led her up the steps of a porch. Although Michonne didn't know which specific house she was in, she knew it was one of the Brownstones in Alexandria.

"Well if we can do anything, and I'm in the Bahamas, I'd like to go lay on the beach for a while" Michonne said, challenging Rick.

"Well I knew you'd say something like that, and that's not a problem" Rick said smugly.

"Really?" Michonne asked, intrigued.

"Nope" Rick replied, guiding Michonne inside the home. "We can go to the beach. But you have to change into your bathing suit first, unless you wanna go skinny dipping?"

Michonne laughed. "Ok Rick, I'll play along. Where's my bathing suit?"

Rick led her through the house and into another room. "I went and got you a bathing suit. I'm gonna take the blindfold off now."

Rick reached behind Michonne and removed the blindfold from her eyes. She found she was in a bedroom in the brownstone. Almost every surface of the bedroom was covered in candles that illuminated the room so brightly it seemed as though the lights were on. The candles all were scented, filling the room with the sweet smell of cinnamon, cherry, peppermint and all kinds of other yummy flavors. One would think burning that many scented candles at once would be overpowering, but together they just made the room smell wonderful. There were rose petals on the bed, and they made a path out of the bedroom into the living room, but Rick had closed the bedroom door. On top of the flower petals, on the bed, was a sky blue bikini.

Michonne took in the sights and smells of the bedroom and then glanced at Rick. He was grinning like the Cheshire Cat and his expression made her smile.

"Rick, it's beautiful" Michonne said.

"This is just the beginning" he whispered in her ear before kissing her cheek. "Put your bikini on and call me when you're ready. I'll come get you and we can go to the beach." Michonne glanced at Rick sideways, but he ignored her look and stepped out of the room, closing the door behind him.

Ten minutes later, after much primping in the mirror, Michonne had her bikini on and was ready to see what her husband was up to. She would've just walked out of the room, but he'd asked her to call him when she was ready, and she didn't want to ruin any of his surprises.

"Rick can I come out now?" Michonne asked somewhat sheepishly.

"Nope! I'll come and get you sweetheart" he called, and a few seconds later he entered the room. He had put swim trunks on himself and Michonne couldn't help but notice his toned and hairless chest and abdomen. She realized he had freshly shaved his chest hair just for her as well. She licked her lips at the sight of him. He paused at the sight of her and took a few seconds to gaze over her body lecherously.

"You look amazing baby" he said. The way he looked at her made her blush. Since she had given birth to the twins not long ago, she was worried about the effects that might have on her body. She did now have stretchmarks on her abdomen and arms, and her breasts and hips had gotten larger, even though she was still a petite woman. She was always secretly relieved when he enthusiastically revered her body.

"You do too" she responded flirtatiously. Michonne glanced down and this time she noticed he had a blindfold.

"Is that for me? Again?" she asked incredulously.

"Just trust me" he answered, wrapping the blindfold around her eyes.

"Can't I just see where I'm going?" Michonne whined playfully.

"And ruin the surprise?" Rick asked.

He led her out of the bedroom and into the living room. Michonne could feel the silky rose petals crunch under her toes as Rick pushed her along, and suddenly, she felt sand. She paused for a moment and wiggled her toes, feeling the grains of sand stick to her feet.

"Rick? Why is there sand in the living room?" Michonne asked.

"Because we're in the Bahamas, on the beach" he replied. He moved her forward a little more and to her surprise she could feel a cool breeze that felt wonderful on her skin. Rick let go of her for a few seconds, and after he grabbed her arm again she could hear a soundtrack of waves lapping at the shore, and seagulls flying overhead. As far as she was concerned, it felt and sounded like she was on a beach.

"You did all of this?" Michonne asked, her voice shaking with emotion. She could feel Rick's arms slowly wrapping around her waist and caressing her back.

"You said you loved the beach. I couldn't bring you there, God knows I tried. I even tried to check out that lake 40 miles away, but it was overrun and I figured you didn't wanna go walker slaying on our honeymoon. I swear I will take you to the beach one day, when things are safer. I couldn't bring you to the beach now, so I brought the beach to you."

"Rick…" Michonne managed, before her emotions took over and she could no longer speak.

"You don't have to say anything" Rick said, kissing her tear stained cheeks. "Just come sit on the sand with me."

He led her over to a spot on the sand that was covered with a towel. He helped her sit on the towel and he sat down next to her.

"Turn over, let me put some sunblock on your back" he suggested.

Michonne laughed but obeyed, laying on her belly and resting her head on her arms. She could hear Rick pop open a bottle of sunblock, and hear the sound of it squirting into his hands.

"Is that real sunblock?" Michonne asked incredulously.

"Of course it is, I can't have you burning in the sun now can I?" Rick joked. Michonne heard Rick rub the sunblock onto his hands and then she could feel the cool, sticky substance being applied to her lower back, just over the top of her bikini. Rick's touch was gentle and warm, and the sunblock was wet and slippery, and the way that he was sliding it over her body made her get wet instantly.

"Mmm that feels so good" Michonne moaned.

" _You_ feel so good" Rick replied, slowly working his way up her back. As his hands made their way to her upper back, they glazed over the scars of her brutal beating. They had escaped from The Farm almost two years ago, but every time he saw her scars it brought his mind back to that traumatic day when he watched the love of his life brutalized in front of him. Michonne could feel his fingers pause over her scars, and she knew what he was thinking.

"Something makes me think you aren't trying to protect me from the sun, you're just trying to cop a feel" Michonne joked, instantly taking his mind away from his darker thoughts.

"Something tells me you're right" Rick replied in his southern drawl, and he continued rubbing in the sunblock, his hands purposely dipping underneath her bikini top now and again.

"This is wonderful Rick. I can't believe you did all of this for me. The sand, the breeze, the beach soundtrack… with the blindfold on I can't even tell we're inside."

"Oh, I'm not done" Rick whispered. "Wanna go swimming?"

"Really? How are you gonna pull that off?" Michonne asked in awe.

"Stand up" Rick commanded. He pulled her upwards and led her over to another side of the large living room. "Here, take a step up" he said. Michonne lifted her leg over what felt like a plastic barrier, and to her surprise she could feel warm water touching her feet. "You didn't!" Michonne said in glee, as she pulled herself over the barrier and realized she was standing in a swimming pool. She laughed hysterically as she kicked the water with her feet.

"Can I take the blindfold off now?" she asked.

"It's gonna ruin the illusion" Rick said as he climbed into the pool as well.

"I don't care, I have to see this" Michonne said, reaching for her face. She pulled the blindfold down and saw the full scale of what Rick had done. The living room floor was covered in sand that was lined with a tarp to keep it in one area. On top of the sand were two beach towels and two beach chairs. Oscillating fans were on in the corners of the room to create the cool ocean breeze, and he was playing a beach sounds soundtrack on a nearby cd player. The two of them were standing in a large kiddie pool. The water came right above Michonne's knees, but the temperature of the water was warm enough for one to believe it had been warmed by the sun. The dining room table had a whole tropical set up complete with fruits, and alcohol, and he had even decorated the room with blow up palm trees.

"Are those palm trees from Party City?" Michonne asked, causing Rick to laugh heartily. "I can't believe you did all this. This is amazing", Michonne said.

"I'm glad you like it. I wanted to make it as beach-like as possible. I was even gonna have heat lamps so it felt like the sun was…" Rick began but he was interrupted by Michonne's lips on his.

"Truth or dare?" Michonne asked, smiling.

"Truth" Rick responded.

"You ever go skinny dipping in a kiddie pool?" she asked seductively, sliding her fingers under the elastic of Rick's swim trunks. Rick growled as his hands swiftly untied her bikini top.

"No, but that's about to change"

 **Author's Note: This is the last chapter. I have never written such a long chapter in my life, but I had so many things that I wanted to add to wrap this story up. I want to thank everyone who stuck with me through the entire story, and please write a review to tell me what your favorite part was. Until next time!**


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